Adam Greenberg (baseball)

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"The sound, the way he went down — the first thing that went through your mind was, 'This guy is dead'," [12]

Valerio de los Santos, after hitting Adam Greenberg in the head with a fastball

On July 7, 2005, Greenberg was called up to the Cubs' major league team from their West Tennessee Double-A affiliate. Pinch hitting in the ninth inning against the Florida Marlins, in a game on July 9, Greenberg was hit directly in the back of his head by a 92 mph fastball on the very first pitch from Valerio de los Santos. [1] [13] Greenberg suffered a concussion and a skull fracture as a result of the beaning and was immediately removed from the game and taken to a hospital. Carlos Zambrano was sent in to pinch-run for Greenberg and eventually came around to score the Cubs' fifth run in an 8–2 victory.

De los Santos called to check on him and apologize. As a result of the injury, Greenberg couldn’t sleep upright or even bend down to tie his shoes without losing his balance. [12] He spent the rest of the 2005 season on the 15-day disabled list, and continued to suffer from positional vertigo, terrible headaches, nausea, double vision and dizziness. [13] [12]

Return to minors, Independent League (2006–2011)

In 2006, Greenberg hit .179 for the Diamond Jaxx and .118 for Iowa, and was released by the Cubs organization on June 2, 2006. Mike Downey of the Chicago Tribune, in an interview on 06/06/06, compared him to Moonlight Graham, who 100 years earlier had appeared in his only Major League game, only to not get an official at-bat, a story recounted in the film Field of Dreams . Greenberg said in the interview, "If that was the extent of my time as a baseball player, just that one very strange little moment, well, there's nothing more I can do about it."

Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers a few days later, Greenberg was assigned to the Jacksonville Suns, hitting .228, but had a .387 on-base percentage (his minor league average), as he had more walks than hits. He also hit well against lefties, with a .455 batting average, and hit .313 with runners on base. Following this stint in the Dodgers' farm system, Greenberg played for the Kansas City Royals organization, agreeing to terms with Greenberg on a minor-league contract on December 5, 2006.

Greenberg played the 2007 season with the Royals' Double-A Wichita Wranglers in the Texas League. He batted .266 with a .373 on-base percentage (10th in the league), a league-leading 11 triples, [14] 13 sacrifice hits (second in the league), 74 walks (tied for fourth in the league), and 23 stolen bases (fifth in the league) in 467 at bats, while leading the team with 73 runs scored. [15]

In December 2007, the Royals re-signed Greenberg to another minor league contract for 2008. [16] Unable to gain a spot in the Triple-A Omaha Royals outfield, Greenberg was granted free agency by Kansas City. After a brief stint with the Independent Bridgeport Bluefish near his hometown of Guilford, in which he batted .289 with a .450 on-base percentage, Greenberg signed a contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and was assigned to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. [17] There, he batted .271 with a .361 on-base percentage, and 16 steals in 262 at-bats.

On February 23, 2009, Greenberg signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds and was invited to minor league spring training.

He did not make the team in spring training, and played again with Bridgeport. In an August 8, 2009, game, Jim Heuser's first pitch sailed behind Greenberg, who yelled out to Heuser. Greenberg was then drilled by a 2–2 pitch and went to charge the mound, but pulled back. Both benches cleared and there was a shove or two in the middle of the pack. [18] He had 53 steals, the team's single season record. [1]

Greenberg finished the 2010 season with the Bluefish batting .258 in 105 games, with a team-high 75 walks. [1]

He played outfield for the Bluefish again in 2011, his fourth year with the team. [1] He faced De Los Santos, who was pitching for the Long Island Ducks, the same pitcher who had hit him in the head in his sole Major League at bat, and this time he singled. [1] Greenberg said:

It was a big deal. As much as I might try to pretend it wasn't. It's been five and a half years, and to face him again in a game that meant something and get the result, to get a hit off him, it was a special moment. ... You have the what-if stuff, 'what if he threw that first pitch for a strike five and a half years ago?' [1]

Greenberg later went hitless in his seven remaining at bats against De Los Santos throughout the course of the season. He led the Bluefish in several categories in the 2011 season, including triples, walks and stolen bases.

Miami Marlins (2012)

In 2012, a Chicago Cubs fan started an online petition to get Greenberg another Major League plate appearance. [19] [20] The campaign succeeded when the Miami Marlins offered him a one-day contract to play in their October 2, 2012, home game against the New York Mets. [21] [22] The contract was worth $2,623, which was donated to an organization that researched brain trauma in athletes. [23] Prior to the game, Marlins manager Ozzie Guillén considered making Greenberg the leadoff hitter and starting him in left field, but then decided he would try to have him bat in the middle of the game and was not sure if he would allow him to run the bases. [24] [25]

Greenberg led off the bottom of the sixth inning as a pinch hitter. [26] The Aerosmith song "Dream On" was played through the stadium's public address system as Greenberg walked to home plate and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. [23] [26] [27] He was struck out by Mets knuckleballer and eventual Cy Young Award winner [28] [29] R. A. Dickey on three pitches and was removed from the lineup at the end of the inning. [23] [26] [27] [30] Greenberg said after the game, "It was magical. The energy that was in the stadium was something that I have never experienced in my life, and I don't know if I'll ever experience that again." [31] He also said he wanted to continue his Major League career and hoped he would be invited to a team's spring training in 2013, ideally the Marlins. [32] [33] [34]

Topps made a Greenberg baseball card for their 2013 series. [35]

Team Israel

Greenberg played for the Israeli national baseball team during the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifier. Greenberg entered the first game of the tournament as a defensive replacement for left field, and walked during his sole plate appearance. [36] During the second game, Greenberg once again entered as a defensive replacement in left field, and did not have an at bat. [37] Greenberg did not appear in the third and final game. [38]

Retirement

Greenberg officially announced his retirement from baseball in February 2014. [39]

National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

In 2014, he was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. [40] [41]

Politics

In April, 2018, Greenberg announced his candidacy for Connecticut's 12th Senate district as a Republican. Ted Kennedy Jr., son of former U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, announced that he would not run for another term. [42] He lost to Democrat Christine Cohen. [43] [44]

See also

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Adam Greenberg
Adam Greenberg (2084729889) (cropped).jpg
Greenberg with the Chicago Cubs in 2005
Outfielder
Born: (1981-02-21) February 21, 1981 (age 43)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 9, 2005, for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 2012, for the Miami Marlins