Gordon made his major league debut as a starter, although he pitched three games as a reliever for Texas in 2008.
He lasted 5 1/3 innings and was charged with two runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in the no-decision.
The Yankees went on to win the game, 3-2, in 12 innings.
The Yankees were in need of an arm after Bartolo Colon went on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring. They turned to Gordon, who has spent virtually all of his 15 professional seasons in the minors with five different organizations.
“There’s been a lot of highs in my career, there’s been a lot of lows,” Gordon said. “This has got to be at the top of all the highs. This is a very special day, for myself and my family.”
In fact, Gordon wasn’t even property of New York until after he exercised an opt-out clause with the Phillies to sign with the Yankees.
The right-hander had been pitching well for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, compiling a 5-0 record along with an International League-best 1.14 earned run average in 12 appearances (nine starts) with the Iron Pigs. He converted to pitching full-time in 2007.
The Yankees also optioned reliever Lance Pendleton to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre and released reliever Amauri Sanit.
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