Dee Gordon Changes Last Name to Honor His Mom, DeVona Strange, Who Was Killed

Seattle Mariners infielder and outfielder Dee Gordon told the team he wants to go by Dee Strange-Gordon going forward, per Greg Johns of MLB.com, in honor of his late mother DeVona Strange, who was killed when he was seven.

Strange was shot and killed by her boyfriend, Lynford Schultz, who served five years in prison for manslaughter. 

Strange-Gordon told B/R's Scott Miller in 2019 that Devaris Strange-Gordon is his legal name, but after a public address announcer in rookie ball badly mispronounced his full name, he asked to just be called Dee Gordon.

"She had this beautiful smile, man," Strange-Gordon told Miller of his mom. "I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was so sweet."

"Now that I'm an adult, I know all she did for me."

Strange-Gordon is in the middle of his 10th season in the majors. The 32-year-old debuted for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011 and has played for three franchises in his career. He has spent the past three seasons with the Mariners.