TAMPA, Fla. – Colton Gordon has come a long way since he pitched at HCC in 2019. It all came full circle Monday night at Steinbrenner Field when he took the mound for the Astros walking distance from where he played as a member of the Hawks.
“Very neat feeling, very cool,” he said following Houston’s 4-3 win over the Rays in which he allowed three runs, did not walk a batter and fanned seven in 5 1/3 innings of a no-decision. “Some reflection the past couple of days thinking about how long it has been since playing at Hillsborough Community College. I felt good about it today. I was coming back home and I wanted to get a win for the guys.”
The outing was the second in the big leagues for the St. Pete native and Bradenton resident, who debuted last Wednesday (also a no-decision) against the Royals. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound lefty said he had 40 to 50 friends and family members in the stands, including his parents, who were seated behind the Rays dugout.
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“I appreciate the support so much,” said Gordon, a Rays fan while growing up. “It is was really cool to share the day with them, plus I got to pitch at home. A lot of people put in a lot of time to help me and to (pitch) in front of them was really cool.”
The 26-year-old Gordon attended Lakewood Ranch High where he graduated in 2017 before beginning his collegiate career 170 miles up I-75 in Gainesville. He did not pitch for the Gators having redshirted in his lone year at UF before transferring to HCC for the 2019 season. He went 7-4 with a 2.44 ERA for the Hawks.
Gordon was on the move again when he transferred to UCF for the 2020 season, which was cut short due the pandemic. He went 5-2 with a 2.77 ERA in nine starts with the Knights in 2021, a season that was also abbreviated thanks to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. The Astros selected Gordon in the eighth round that summer.
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Gordon worked his way rather smoothly through the Houston system and was impressive at Triple-A Sugar Land this season (2.55 ERA) before the Astros came calling.
“Can’t say enough about this team welcoming me and making me part of the team immediately,” he said. “The guys are so welcoming. It is easy to be in the clubhouse, get around and communicate, which makes it easier on me. At the end of the day, it’s baseball and I want to be myself out there. When you have a group of guys that are embracing you, it is a really good feeling.”
Houston manager Joe Espada was impressed with how Gordon handled the atmosphere being back home and pitching in front of many supporters.
“He’s calm, he’s composed,” he said. “It was not easy to do in front of his home crowd. I am telling you, there are a lot of emotions and he remained cool. He did a great job.”
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