MADISON, AL – Minor League Baseball announced today that Rocket City Trash Pandas right-hander Austin Gordon has been named the Southern League Pitcher of the Week following seven no-hit innings as part of the third no-hitter in franchise history Wednesday night against the Birmingham Barons at Regions Field.
Gordon gives Rocket City the Southern League Pitcher of the Week award in back-to-back weeks for the first time in franchise history, following right-hander Eybersson Polanco's honor last week. Gordon becomes the third Trash Pandas pitcher to earn the award this season, joining Polanco and right-hander Nate Snead, who was honored on June 29. Infielder Nick Rodríguez also earned Southern League Player of the Week honors on July 13.
Gordon turned in one of the best starts of his professional career Wednesday, retiring the first 18 Birmingham hitters he faced before an error allowed the leadoff batter to reach in the seventh. The 23-year-old from Myrtle Beach, SC finished seven no-hit innings with eight strikeouts and no walks, facing just 22 batters while throwing 57 of his 78 pitches for strikes. Lucas Mahlstedt and Camden Minacci completed the final two innings of Rocket City's 8-0 victory to secure the third no-hitter in Trash Pandas history.
The performance continued a dominant stretch for Gordon, who has won seven consecutive starts dating back to July 8. During that span, Gordon is 7-0 with a 1.93 ERA and 0.74 WHIP over 42.0 innings, holding opponents to a .152 average while striking out 51 against just nine walks.
Dating back to June 5, Gordon leads qualified Southern League pitchers with a 2.94 ERA, recording 83 strikeouts over 67.1 innings in 13 starts. Following his eight-strikeout performance Wednesday, Gordon has 122 strikeouts this season, second-most in the Southern League and fifth-most in a single season in Trash Pandas history.
The weekly honor is the second of Gordon's professional career. He was previously named Northwest League Pitcher of the Week on June 1, 2025, while pitching for the High-A Tri-City Dust Devils.
Gordon's performance continued an impressive stretch for a Rocket City pitching staff that has developed into one of the top staffs in Double-A. The Trash Pandas rank second in the Southern League and fifth among all Double-A clubs with a 4.39 ERA. Since May 3, Rocket City owns a 4.03 ERA, ranking second in Double-A and fifth-best among all full-season Minor League clubs.
The first-place Trash Pandas return to Toyota Field on Tuesday to open their final regular-season homestand, a six-game series against the Montgomery Biscuits from September 1-6. The week features $1 hot dogs on Tuesday, Wine Wednesday, a Sprocket Bike Bobblehead Giveaway on Thursday, Huntsville Havoc Night on Friday, Japanese Heritage Night and a 2027 Magnet Schedule Giveaway on Saturday, and a Building Block Sprocket Giveaway for Sunday's home finale. Fans can also enjoy three straight nights of postgame fireworks Friday through Sunday. Tickets are available at TPTix.com.
**ABOUT THE ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS
**Owned and operated by BallCorps, LLC, the Rocket City Trash Pandas are the proud Double-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in the Southern League. The Trash Pandas play at state-of-the-art TOYOTA Field in Madison, Alabama. The organization's mission is to unite our communities by creating positive and lasting memories one experience at a time.