This season, Zack Greinke became the fifth pitcher in MLB history to strike out 1,000 different hitters, joining a group of immortals. At 39, he remains innovative, a pitcher like none other. How? rustindodd and JaysonJenks explain in 10 stories.
had hammered one curveball to deep center field. It stayed in the park, but Greinke wondered if he needed a new trick.The first time Jeff Mathis met Greinke was at a restaurant in Kansas City. They weren’t teammates yet and the pleasantries quickly turned into a conversation about pitching. Greinke was at the height of his powers, so Mathis asked what Greinke’s favorite thing to do was, expecting a response along the lines of “just blowing people’s doors off.
Mathis started to push the bunt down the third base line, and it was right then he realized Greinke was standing on the line, almost waiting for the ball, a step ahead of everyone else as always. “Zack is the only pitcher I know that would throw a pitch, sprint off the mound to a point on the field and I’ll be damned if almost every time he did that it wasn’t weak contact and he fielded the ball and threw the guy out,” Bradley said. “It wasSeveral years ago, Greinke was pitching for the Diamondbacks in Boston. Greinke didn’t survive the second inning, but before he was pulled, ahitter sent a swinging bunt up the line.
When the inning ended, Greinke walked back to the clubhouse. Bradley, curious how Greinke would react to a rare shelling, followed. Greinke headed right for a video monitor and watched the play he’d just made. Then he turned to Bradley: “That play just won me the Gold Glove.”Much later on, Greinke was sitting with Bradley when a Diamondbacks’ PR staffer walked by. Greinke won three Gold Gloves in Arizona. “Hey Zack,” the staffer said.
For a moment, Barlow watched in appreciation, a future Hall of Famer trying to simulate bad hops, using his own unique approach to get better.Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.
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