https://www.mlb.com/news/alex-gordon-s-hr-highlights-six-run-first-inning
KANSAS CITY -- Royals left fielder Alex Gordon was convinced that fate intervened for him as he recorded his first four-hit game since last May.
Gordon came into Friday’s game against the Indians with a mission: Give a shoutout to a teenage boy named Charlie, who had been in cancer remission, but required brain surgery on Friday.
Gordon wore a yellow armband with “Charlie” written on it, a tribute to the boy he met years ago through his Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which helps support childhood cancer research. And it didn’t take long for Gordon to draw attention to the armband: Gordon homered in his first at-bat, part of a six-run first inning that helped propel the Royals to an 8-1 win, snapping their 10-game losing streak.
Gordon's inspiring home run00:491:01 AM EDT
“He’s going through a tough time,” Gordon said. “I’ve known him for eight or nine years now -- became good friends. With what he’s going through, I just told him tonight was for him. I told him I was going to wear something for him, so I hope he was watching.
“I didn’t tell him I was going to hit a home run, but I think it was kind of meant to be. I had goosebumps going around the bases. I wanted to make sure I tapped him and let him see it. It was pretty special.”
Each time Gordon got a hit -- he had two doubles, a home run, and a single -- he made sure to tap the armband.
“Probably one of the first kids I met [through the foundation],” Gordon said. “He comes to all the foundation stuff. We’re good friends now. It’s a little bigger than that. I came into the game just wanting to wear the armband to give him a shoutout. Hopefully that’s going to help him a little bit.”
Gordon's 4-hit game01:461:42 AM EDT
Gordon nearly had the cycle. He tried to stretch his fifth-inning double into a triple, but was thrown out rather easily.
“Bad turns around the bases,” Gordon said, smiling. “When I was going around first, I kinda thought about it. You know what? Let’s try to get a triple. You’re never supposed to get the third out for at third base, but I wanted to go for it. I’m just not that fast anymore.”
Gordon’s 13th career four-hit game raised his average to .390 as he has carried over his late-season hot streak from 2018.
“That’s the one thing I went into the offseason wanting to do,” Gordon said, “just remembering how I felt at the end of the year just with my swing, my at-bats, my approach. I wanted to carry that over as much as I could into Spring Training and this year.”
As a team, the Royals did hit for the cycle in the first. Adalberto Mondesi followed Whit Merrifield’s leadoff single with a triple. Gordon’s homer made it 3-0, and later Chris Owings doubled in two more. In all, the six-run outburst in the first frame was the Royals’ biggest inning this season.
KANSAS CITY -- Royals left fielder Alex Gordon was convinced that fate intervened for him as he recorded his first four-hit game since last May.
Gordon came into Friday’s game against the Indians with a mission: Give a shoutout to a teenage boy named Charlie, who had been in cancer remission, but required brain surgery on Friday.
Gordon wore a yellow armband with “Charlie” written on it, a tribute to the boy he met years ago through his Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which helps support childhood cancer research. And it didn’t take long for Gordon to draw attention to the armband: Gordon homered in his first at-bat, part of a six-run first inning that helped propel the Royals to an 8-1 win, snapping their 10-game losing streak.
Gordon's inspiring home run00:491:01 AM EDT
“He’s going through a tough time,” Gordon said. “I’ve known him for eight or nine years now -- became good friends. With what he’s going through, I just told him tonight was for him. I told him I was going to wear something for him, so I hope he was watching.
“I didn’t tell him I was going to hit a home run, but I think it was kind of meant to be. I had goosebumps going around the bases. I wanted to make sure I tapped him and let him see it. It was pretty special.”
Each time Gordon got a hit -- he had two doubles, a home run, and a single -- he made sure to tap the armband.
“Probably one of the first kids I met [through the foundation],” Gordon said. “He comes to all the foundation stuff. We’re good friends now. It’s a little bigger than that. I came into the game just wanting to wear the armband to give him a shoutout. Hopefully that’s going to help him a little bit.”
Gordon's 4-hit game01:461:42 AM EDT
Gordon nearly had the cycle. He tried to stretch his fifth-inning double into a triple, but was thrown out rather easily.
“Bad turns around the bases,” Gordon said, smiling. “When I was going around first, I kinda thought about it. You know what? Let’s try to get a triple. You’re never supposed to get the third out for at third base, but I wanted to go for it. I’m just not that fast anymore.”
Gordon’s 13th career four-hit game raised his average to .390 as he has carried over his late-season hot streak from 2018.
“That’s the one thing I went into the offseason wanting to do,” Gordon said, “just remembering how I felt at the end of the year just with my swing, my at-bats, my approach. I wanted to carry that over as much as I could into Spring Training and this year.”
As a team, the Royals did hit for the cycle in the first. Adalberto Mondesi followed Whit Merrifield’s leadoff single with a triple. Gordon’s homer made it 3-0, and later Chris Owings doubled in two more. In all, the six-run outburst in the first frame was the Royals’ biggest inning this season.
