KANSAS CITY -- When Alex Gordon was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning of the Royals' 8-3 loss to the White Sox on Thursday, he entered the record books by himself.
Gordon now has been plunked 79 times in his career, surpassing former Royals catcher Mike Macfarlane.
"It means a lot," Gordon said. "I know Macfarlane, too, and I'll give him a hard time about that. Anytime you achieve something like that over [a career] it's significant. People keep hitting me because I guess they don't like me."
Gordon does take pride in all the bruises he has accumulated over the years from being hit.
"I just try to get on base any way I can," Gordon said. "If you have to wear a pitch, you do.
"I kind of learned that at Nebraska. We had the mentality of getting on base any way you can and not getting out of the way, especially with two strikes.
"I think it has kind of carried over to professional life."