A three-pitch strikeout never felt so good. After playing his college ball at North Carolina, Adam Greenberg went on to have only one at-bat in his Major League career. The former Marlin was hit in the head by a pitch during his first ever at-bat in 2005 and never played again — until Tuesday night.
The Marlins signed Greenberg to a one-day contract to give him one more shot in the majors, and R.A. Dickey struck him out on three pitches.
“It was magical,” Greenberg said according to ESPN.com. “The energy in the stadium was something I never experienced, and I don’t know if I will ever experience it again. You could just feel the genuine support. It was awesome.”
Ozzie Guillen sent Greenberg up to pinch hit in the sixth inning, and his plate appearance lasted all of 33 seconds. When he returned to the dugout, Greenberg was treated to a birage of high-fives as though he had just gone yard.
“You know what went through my mind?” Guillen asked. “I said how lucky I was to get 10,000 at-bats in the big leagues.”
Before the game, the Marlins dressed Greenberg in a Speedo like they did with the rest of their rookies and made him sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” He may have joined the team under extremely unique circumstances, but a rookie is a rookie.
“I was completely humiliated, but they were awesome,” Greenberg said. “They treated me like a member of their team.”
Even if for just one night, that’s exactly what Greenberg was.
