In less depressing Diamondback relief pitcher news, Arizona has released Tom Gordon. After elbow surgery, hamstring problems, and a moderately acute case of post-40itis, it’s possible that Gordon’s interesting and often underrated career is over. Though, because he’s a reliever with a pedigree and you simply can’t kill those guys, Gordon latching on with some other team is not out of the realm of possibility. One quibble with the AP story on all of this:
Gordon, 41, is 138-126 with 158 saves and a 3.96 ERA in 890 games in 21 seasons . . . Dennis Eckersley, Hoyt Wilhelm and Lindy McDaniel also have at least 135 victories and 150 saves.
I know the guy had a bad week, but doesn’t John Smoltz (212 wins, 154 saves) warrant a mention here too?