It’s been years since Brian Gordon has pitched in the majors. It also has been years since Gordon’s even been in New York.
Today, the right-hander will be the Yankees’ starter against the Rangers in The Bronx when he makes his pinstriped debut in place of the injured Bartolo Colon.
Gordon will pitch in the big leagues for the first time since 2008 and, at age 32, start a major league game for the first time in his life.
Gordon — a converted outfielder who opted out of his minor-league contract with the Phillies and signed with the Yankees this week — was born in West Point but moved to Texas when he was growing up. And today will be his first time back in New York.
Gordon had superb numbers with the Phillies’ Triple-A club in Lehigh Valley, going 5-0 with a 1.14 ERA in 12 games (nine starts). He last started on Saturday.
“He’s had an outstanding season in Triple-A for the Phillies,” manager Joe Girardi said. “He seems to throw a lot of strikes, has good command.”
The other candidates were Hector Noesi and Triple-A righty David Phelps. Girardi said Gordon is “more built up than Hector because of the way we’ve had to use Hector.”
As for Phelps and fellow Triple-A candidate Adam Warren, the Yankees were worried about having either debut against the Rangers’ offense.
Gordon’s only major league experience came in three relief outings for the Rangers in 2008. Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan helped convert him from an outfielder to a pitcher in 2006.
“Strike-thrower. Four pitches for strikes,” Texas pitching coach Mike Maddux said yesterday. “Had a pretty good feel for it. Just lacked the experience of being on the mound when we had him.”
Three scouts compared Gordon to former Yankees journeymen righties Aaron Small and Dustin Moseley due to their lack of elite stuff but strong command, on-field demeanor and pitching comprehension.
Scouts had Gordon’s fastball in the 86-89 mph range, and one scout said, “If he does [handle Yankee Stadium], he has the kind of repertoire that can throw off a team that hasn’t seen him because there is a lot of variety at a lot of speeds.”
–Additional reporting by Joel Sherman and Brian Costello