Colton Gordon keeps Astros' six-man rotation afloat in major-league debut

New York Times

15-05-2025

HOUSTON — The survival of a six-man rotation relied on Colton Gordon's left arm. His major-league debut on Wednesday night doubled as an inflection point for a pitching staff pushed to its limit. Two starters are absent due to injury and the bullpen is down a reliever by choice.
Into this inferno stepped Gordon, a 26-year-old southpaw never seen within prospect rankings but with enough pitchability and pluck to pique the Houston Astros' interest. Team officials touted his strike-throwing, six-pitch mix and a small taste of pitching in pressurized situations.
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Two years ago, Gordon started Team Israel's World Baseball Classic game against Team Puerto Rico. He survived just an inning and surrendered four runs, but faced Francisco Lindor, Javier Báez and Kiké Hernandez beneath a sold-out crowd at loanDepot Park cheering against his every move.
'That matters,' Astros manager Joe Espada said on Wednesday afternoon. 'I'm telling you. I've been in two WBCs. It matters.'
Now, Espada is in a precarious position. He boasts one of baseball's best bullpens with starters threatening to overwork it amid a stretch of 17 consecutive games. Staying in a six-man rotation despite long-term injuries to Hayden Wesneski and Spencer Arrighetti is a curious choice, but both Espada and general manager Dana Brown have long extolled its benefits.
Colton Gordon in his major-league debut: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 85 pitches, 58 strikes, 41 swings, 2 whiffs, 22 foul balls, 89.2 mph average exit velocity.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 15, 2025
To make a six-man setup viable, length from each starter is mandatory. During this six-game homestand, neither Lance McCullers Jr. nor Ryan Gusto followed the plan. McCullers collected one out on Saturday. Gusto got seven on Monday.
On Wednesday, one swing from the sport's most feared shortstop separated Gordon from a similar fate. Another truncated start would've thrust Houston's plans for a six-man rotation into serious doubt. Instead, Gordon grinded through 4 1/3 innings: a line that may not excite many, but served a specific purpose.
'Because of what we have coming in the next few days, the fact he was able to manage and get us through it was really, really good,' Espada said after Houston's 4-3 win.
Four games against the Texas Rangers loom this weekend, perhaps the most consequential series of the Astros' early season. Preserving as much pitching as possible is paramount, a desire Gordon almost put in peril.
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Gordon neared 50 pitches before Bobby Witt Jr. walked to home plate in the second inning. Two Kansas City Royals had already crossed home plate and two more stood on base. Houston's bullpen did not stir, underscoring the weight Gordon bore on Wednesday.
Witt watched two changeups miss down, putting Gordon's pitch count to 47 and Espada into action. He sent Witt to first base on an intentional walk, cognizant of Gordon's growing workload and the left-handed hitter standing on deck.
Creating a more favorable matchup is always advised, but loading the bases in a pitcher's second major-league inning can be an impossible scenario. Espada had little choice. Gordon rewarded his decision.
He attacked Vinnie Pasquantino with a first-pitch sinker, unafraid of the damage it may inflict. Pasquantino pounded it to shortstop Jeremy Peña, who completed the putout and calmed the chaos.
'(Gordon) looked confident,' said Peña, who totaled four hits and drove in the winning run with an eighth-inning double. 'He was attacking guys, and I love to see that. He had no fear whatsoever. He did not look one bit nervous.'
Gordon admitted no nerves, but acknowledged being 'fired up.' He worked at a breakneck pace from the extreme third-base side of the rubber, readying himself for his next pitch within milliseconds of receiving catcher Victor Caratini's throw. After requiring 48 pitches to get his first six outs, Gordon threw just 22 to collect the next six, stabilizing a start that seemed on the precipice of a spiral.
Gordon filled the strike zone and never shied away from adversity, even with a total inability to miss bats. Of his 85 pitches, 58 were strikes: a 68.2 percent clip in line with his averages in Triple-A Sugar Land. Kansas City swung at 40 of the pitches he threw. Just two generated whiffs.
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'He did not back down by the stage, the moment,' Espada said. 'I really liked how he went and threw his fastball in, regardless of who was at the plate. I thought he was aggressive in the zone.'
Advertised as a six-pitch pitcher and the personification of a crafty lefty, Gordon stayed sinker and slider dominant during his first trip through Kansas City's order. Curveballs and changeups made their first appearance as the Royals' lineup turned over.
'It was for sure a battle,' Gordon said. 'There were some pitches that I thought could've been executed better and then, after that, just happy with limiting damage. Never want to give up a run. The goal is never to do that. But it's baseball, it's going to happen. Again, giving our team a chance to win and staying in it was huge. That's what I'm about as a pitcher.
Twenty-five family members, friends and old workout partners traveled from Florida to cheer on Gordon inside a half-filled ballpark. Seeing them after the game allowed him to finally realize the gravity of his accomplishments.
'All day, I was just amped,' Gordon said. 'It's one of those days when you don't need any caffeine to wake up and be ready to attack the day.'
Gordon's final line won't generate headlines. He struck out three and surrendered seven hits. A Royal reached scoring position in every inning Gordon worked. Balking Pasquantino to second base in the fifth was perhaps Gordon's biggest blemish. Following it with a four-seam fastball inside to Salvador Perez helped to offset it.
Perez bounced out, bringing Espada from the dugout and beginning a bullpen carousel. Four relievers twirled 4 2/3 scoreless innings, lowering Houston's bullpen ERA to 2.69. Only the San Francisco Giants have a lower one.
'I'm a starter,' Gordon said. 'That's part of what my job entails as far as getting outs and getting deep into a game. The goal is to get deeper. I'm glad we won and, for the first start, I'm happy we won and it was solid. But I have to get deeper as the year goes.'
(Photo of Colton Gordon: Jack Gorman / Getty Images)