Unlikely Record Setter

When you think of Mariners power hitters, you might think Jay Bruce, Mitch Haniger or Edwin Encarnacion. Maybe the rising star Domingo Santana.

But not Dee Gordon, the skinny 2nd baseman-turned-centerfielder-turned 2nd baseman. 5'11 and 170 pounds after a fast food run, the slender speedster homered in the 6th inning Thursday night against the Royals -- giving the M's a home run in each of the first 15 games of a season. That's a brand new record, erasing the 14 set by the 2002 Indians.

Just check "the back of his baseball card" (OK, nowadays, baseball-reference.com). This is a player who has more than three times the amount of career triples as home runs. An outlier in today's game. 15 career homers in previous eight seasons.

Yet, Gordon was the player who helped write some unlikely history Thursday night as the Mariners' magic carpet ride rolls on with now 13 wins in their first 15 games.
(My images of Gordon are from an August 2016 Marlins/Mets game when he played for those "other" M's.)

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