Alex Gordon is one errant pitch away from being able to take claim as the toughest player in Royals history.
Well, sort of.
Gordon was hit by a pitch for the 78th time in his career on Friday night, tying catcher Mike Macfarlane for the franchise record. The record-tying pitch came from the left arm of Rangers starter Cole Hamels. Gordon later scored on a double from Lorenzo Cain as the Royals took a 1-0 lead.
Macfarlane, a catcher, played 980 career games for the Royals across 11 seasons. He was also hit 19 times as a member of the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s.