Topic: Tom Gordon

Thomas Gordon (born November 18, 1967, in Sebring, Florida), nicknamed "Flash", is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Previously, he played with the Kansas City Royals (1988–95), Boston Red Sox (1996–99), Chicago Cubs (2001–02), Houston Astros (2002), Chicago White Sox (2003), New York Yankees (2004–05), and the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed a three-year deal worth $18 million with the Phillies before the 2006 season. Gordon is known by his unique signal after striking out a batter; he points to the sky to show his appreciation.

Gordon attended Avon Park High School in Avon Park, Florida, and was a letterman in baseball. He was male athlete of the year his senior year with Tammy Warner a cross country and track runner.

Gordon began his career as a starting pitcher with the Kansas City Royals, first appearing in five games at the age of 20 late in the 1988 season. He became an immediate sensation in Kansas City the following year, posting a 17-9 record and a 3.64 ERA in his first full season, and he finished second in the 1989 Rookie of the Year balloting. Gordon also recorded 153 strikeouts in 1989, the tenth highest total in the American League, all of which earned him the nickname "Flash." Early in his career, this nickname would trip a news "flash" alert in Associated Press newsroom software when it appeared in a day's list of probable pitchers.