Tom Gordon
Tom Gordon
Thomas Flynn Gordon, nicknamed "Flash", is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher...
ProfessionBaseball Player
Date of Birth18 November 1967
CitySebring, FL
aspect attitude eighth enter good greatest innings next save setup seventh short similar
To some degree, (closing) is similar to being a setup man. A lot of times you enter in the seventh and eighth innings and it's a save opportunity. The different aspect is you have to have the makeup, the attitude and a short memory. One day, you're the greatest thing and the next day you stink. The good thing for me is I've done it and had success.
abandon bottom care close line months quality
Our bottom line is the quality of the care there. It would probably take 6 to 9 months to close it down because we don't want to abandon the patients.
ball last throwing
I think I'm throwing the ball the same way I did last year.
coke drinking foods juice maybe might stopped
I might try other foods or something. I stopped drinking Coke and I'm drinking cranberry juice instead, maybe that's it. I don't know. I hadn't thought about it.
biggest closer looking
I was looking to be a closer again. That was the biggest thing.
affects arm body common common-sense delicate kicking legs might monitor pitches
We all want to be out there. Still, you have to use a little common sense. The more he pitches, the more he has to monitor himself. Making so many pitches affects your stuff. Once it affects your stuff, you can give up runs, and then you're kicking yourself. Your body has to tell you. Your arm might feel good, but then your legs might not feel so great. It's a delicate balance.
bad ball bounce curve knew pitching throwing
I started throwing my curve ball for strikes. I was pitching aggressively. If I had a bad game, I would bounce back. I knew I could do it again.
double great hit needed players somebody sure tremendous tried
It was tremendous -- great players making a great play. I needed a double play. I tried to make sure that if he hit the ball, he hit it at somebody in the infield.
beat matter score
They probably think no matter what the score is, they can beat us.
good tried
I just tried to make good pitches. Huff is a good hitter. It was a good battle.
ball base glad good knew roll strike trying won
I knew I had a base open, so I was trying to get him to roll over on a pitch, or if I got two strikes, to strike him out. He's a good hitter, so I wanted to keep the ball in the park. It was a good battle, I'm just glad I won it.
thrown
I hadn't thrown him a curveball in the at-bat. I had thrown him fastballs and cutters.
ball couple elbow felt percent pleased rushing
I felt really good. There were a couple of times I was rushing the ball up there, but all in all I was really pleased with the way it went. My elbow has been 100 percent for a while.
arm bounce coming last next pitch routine shown since surgery
I don't think that's anything I need to think about. I was 37 last season, and I'll be 39 next season. I think since coming back from arm surgery (in 2000) I've shown I can pitch and bounce back, and that my routine has made me stronger.