It was a matter of time. The universal designated hitter is coming to baseball as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred claims that both sides have agreed to its implementation. Whether or not that is the case remains to be seen, but the DH is coming to the National League. With that announcement, Houston Astros pitcher Zack Greinke has likely cemented his place in history.
Let us go back to Game 5 of the 2021 World Series. Greinke was sent to the plate in the fourth inning as a pinch hitter, something that seemed to be a peculiar decision at the time. However, he came through with a hit, his second of the World Series, proving Dusty Baker right in that situation.
Zack Greinke enters history books with Houston Astros
With that base knock, Greinke will now be the answer to a baseball trivia question. He was the last traditional pitcher to get a base hit prior to the universal DH, and may well be the last pitcher to get a hit in MLB history.
That designation does have to carry the caveat of a traditional pitcher. Shohei Ohtani may be a pitcher as well, but he also serves as the Angels’ primary DH. It is unfair to lump him in with the Greinke’s of the baseball universe.
He has been a solid enough hitter in the majors, particularly for a pitcher. A two time Silver Slugger, he has produced a .225/.262/.336 batting line in his 600 plate appearances, hitting nine homers and 29 doubles while stealing nine bases. That success should not be much of a surprise considering that Greinke had considered becoming a shortstop and ending his career on the mound at the height of his battles with anxiety.
But the Greinke’s of the world are a dying breed. The game has changed, with far more of a focus on home runs than sacrifice bunts and manufacturing runs. While he is capable of getting a hit when he steps up to the plate, Greinke is also one of the few pitchers who can make such a claim.
Zack Greinke made history when he got a base hit for the Houston Astros in Game Five of the World Series. It was just that no one realized it then.