As the final days of the Major League Baseball regular season winded down last week, MLB analysts and baseball fans around the nation were caught up in the intriguing playoff races, and deservingly so. But a story that caught my eyes was that of 31-year-old Adam Greenberg.
On July 9, 2005, Greenberg’s MLB debut with the Chicago Cubs, left-handed pitcher Valerio De Los Santos of the Florida Marlins, now called the Miami Marlins, hit Greenberg in the head with a 92 mph fastball.
That was the only pitch Greenberg ever saw in the Big Leagues after suffering from vertigo as a result of the hit by pitch. He battled in the minor leagues to try to reach the pro level again but he never made it higher than the Double-A level.
But last Tuesday he got another at-bat in the majors.
The Marlins signed him to a one day contract worth $3,000 before Tuesday’s game against the New York Mets, and Marlins’ manager Ozzie Guillen inserted Greenberg in the Marlins lineup as a pinch-hitter to lead off the sixth inning.
The crowd roared with cheer before and after the at-bat even though Greenberg struck out on three straight pitches thrown by right-handed knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey, a 20-game winner and National League Cy Young Award candidate. Dickey threw three knuckleballs, the first one Greenberg watched go by and the next two he swung and missed.
I was impressed by all parties about this whole event and opportunity for Greenberg.
After putting in all of the time and effort before and after practices and in the offseason to work on his swing and fielding mechanics in the minor leagues, receiving the call saying that he is going to play for the Chicago Cubs and then stepping into the batter’s box only to get beaned in the head on his first pitch had to have been a demoralizing experience.
Not many people or athletes would get back on that same horse that knocked them down.
But, Greenberg did.
Greenberg displayed true perseverance and determination to chase his dream again, even if it only meant getting one pinch-hit at-bat in a meaningless end of the regular season game between a couple losing teams at the bottom of the National League East standings.
Further showing what kind of guy Greenberg is, he plans to donate his $3,000 contract money to the Marlins’ foundation, which in turn, will donate the money to the Sports Legacy Institute, a group that studies treatment and prevention of the effects of brain trauma on athletes and other people.
I also commend the Marlins’ organization for giving Greenberg a chance to prove himself on the big stage.
I am sure other teams gave little or no thought of allowing Greenberg to play for their team, especially at this point in the season.
Dickey also acted like a professional by treating Greenberg as any other hitter. He not only gave him his best, he understood that this was Greenberg’s moment and said that he gave him as much time as he felt he could before pitching to him.
With teams being especially competitive nowadays, it is nice to see a team step back and show fans what the game is all about – unforgettable, rare moments like this one.