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Tournaments  | Story  | 11/18/2024

PG’s Australia Tour Coming In A Flash

Jim Salisbury     
Tom Gordon pitched in 890 games, made two All-Star teams and won a World Series during a 20-year major league baseball career.

He’s been around.



This winter, the man they call “Flash” will be headed somewhere new.

Gordon, along with fellow former major league pitcher Scott Erickson, will coach a group of 26 young players on Perfect Game’s 2024 Australian Baseball Tour.

For players and their families, it’s the ultimate road trip.

Gordon is more than excited about it himself.

“I wish I could have gotten this opportunity when I was a kid,” he said. “It’s a chance for our players to show their talents internationally, to learn about another culture and to make relationships.

“I’ve been to Japan and Amsterdam and had wonderful baseball experiences in both places. But what I remember most are the relationships I built. I still have them today. I still have people calling me asking about pitching, about techniques, routines and all that good stuff. 

“Baseball is America’s pastime but it’s also a pastime throughout the world. This is an opportunity for our players to make some great relationships, to see how the game is played in another country and use that experience to become a better player.”

Over the last handful of years, Perfect Game has built a strong relationship with Baseball Australia. A number of Australian teams and individual players have traveled to the United States for PG events. This trip marks the first time PG teams have traveled to Australia. PG has partnered with MVP International Athletics for the trip, which runs from December 26 to January 4. PG will send two teams, a 12-U team and a high school team, each consisting of 13 players, to the event. The teams will play five games in the Sydney and Brisbane areas, and MVP International Athletics has planned sightseeing excursions and other fun stuff.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the players and their families,” said Taylor McCollough, PG’s vice president of operations. “Looking at these itineraries, it’s stuff people will talk about for the rest of their lives. The interest we had right from the first email was remarkable.”

While Gordon said he expects his teams “to play hard and give it everything they’ve got,” this trip is different than other PG events. Culture, camaraderie and connecting are as important as competition.

“It’s really a goodwill event in addition to what’s happening on the field,” said Brad Clement, PG’s executive vice president and general manager.

The Australia trip kicks off a busy stretch of international events for PG and MVP International Athletics in the coming months. Trips are planned to Spain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Japan, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in 2025.
 
“For players and their families, these are opportunities to experience the world through the game of baseball,” McCollough said. “For us, it’s an opportunity to continue to grow worldwide and show other countries what PG is all about.”

“We really feel good about the opportunities PG is providing internationally,” Clement added. “Our mission is to grow the game and events like the Australia trip certainly do that.

“We look forward to the time when there is an Australian player selected to our All-American Classic.”

Gordon and Erickson, two of the 21 former major league players who are financial investors in PG, will do their part to help groom an Australian player or two for the organization’s signature event. 

“I’m excited to go over there and see how their games are played and how we can help them become better baseball players,” Gordon said. “I’m looking forward to speaking with those kids, learning what they want to do in the game and giving them advice on how they can be great. 

“Baseball is an international game and I want to see it played everywhere. When you start to play this game, you can’t put the bat down, you can’t put the ball down, and I want to see everyone involved. Any way I can see a kid get the most out of his talent and help him produce in this game, I’m willing to do that. I can’t wait to get over to Australia and get going.”
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