The numbers are eye popping.
8 starts, 6-0 a 0.40 ERA including 3 complete games – 2 were complete game shutouts.
Since the early 1900s (1912 for the NL and 1913 for the AL) only twice before last night has a pitcher gone 6-0 to start the season with a sub 0.40 ERA. Zack Greinke joins Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Walter Johnson (1913) on that very short list. And I’ll go out on a limb and say that it’s even more impressive in this day and age. Add that the Royals, although much improved so far this season, aren’t a very good team. He’s backed by a marginal defense at best. Which is perhaps why he finds it easier to strikeout around 10 batters a game.
So all that is impressive enough but consider just a few years ago Zack literally walked away from the game. He simply didn’t want to play baseball anymore. A long story short, Zack suffers from social anxiety disorder. After a year plus away from the game Zack has not only made it back to the game, he now finds himself on top of the game of baseball.
The numbers are great, the story is great but the best part – have you seen him pitch? Wow!
It’s unfair. 92 mph fastball under a chin followed by a 72 mph curve ball that has the hitter bailing out of the box while the pitch lands in the heart of the plate but the hitter never had a chance. Baseball keeps endless stats – perhaps it’s out there somewhere – but Zack has to lead the league in check swing strikeouts. His splitter is just plain nasty and hitters are helpless against it.
You truly have to see Zack pitch to appreciate the dominance that lead to historic numbers.
It’s only 6 starts into the season but Zack is clearly the best pitcher in baseball right now. Will he win the Cy Young? Or the MVP? Will he throw a no hitter? Or a perfect game? Will he at least keep it going long enough to start the All-Star game? A yes to any of these questions wouldn’t surprise anyone and all appear for now to be good picks. It is of course a long season and a lot remains to be played out. But on May 5th, 2009 the Kansas City Royals are in first place and Zack Greinke is simply unhittable.
May 10th, 2009 -
Good work! Thank you very much! I always wanted to write in my blog something like that. Can I take part of your post to my blog? Of course, I will add backlink?