Gordon doesn't let bug keep him from homer No. 100

CLEVELAND -- What is it about Alex Gordon's eyeballs that make them such desirable destinations for tiny flying creatures?

Three months after a moth flew into one of Gordon's peepers during a key ninth-inning at-bat in Kansas City, the left fielder had to overcome the annoyances of another insect in Cleveland on Monday, when he stepped to the dish with no outs and a runner on second base in the eighth inning of a game the Royals trailed by three runs.

Last time, on June 25 against the Braves, Gordon reached on an intentional walk. This time, he crushed a homer to right field, bringing the Royals to within one run and becoming the 13th player in franchise history to pile up 100 round-trippers in his career.

"It was before I even saw a pitch," Gordon said. "It flew into my eye and got [stuck]. I called timeout and tried to get it out of me eye. I think I pushed it down far enough [to] where it didn't bother me too much. I just tried to play with it."

With the help of a trainer, Gordon removed the bug -- which was probably one of Cleveland's infamous midges -- when he returned to the dugout. Between Monday's incident and the one from June, Gordon appears to be a marked man.

"That was the first thing that crossed my mind, is, 'Not this again,'" Gordon said. "I knew I had a big at-bat, so I just kind of brushed it away and focused on [hitting]."