The Kansas City Royals recently named Zack Greinke as their Opening Day starter.
It will be his second Opening Day assignment with the Royals: the first one came in 2010, during his last season with the team before going to the Milwaukee Brewers.
He was coming off a Cy Young campaign in 2009, so there was no chance he didn’t get the ball to open the year in 2010.
This time, he signed a one-year deal with Kansas City, the place in which he started his professional career, as a highly accomplished pitcher, to lead a staff full of rookies and promising hurlers.
As it happened in 2010, there was no way he didn’t get the ball this year.
With that said, apparently even Zack felt that way, at least judging by his reaction when he found out he was taking the ball to start the season for the Royals.
“Zack Greinke couldn’t be more excited about being the Royals Opening Day Starter,” MLB on Fox tweeted, with some laughing emojis and a video.
Zack Greinke couldn’t be more excited about being the Royals Opening Day Starter 🤣🤣🤣
(via @JoshVernier610)pic.twitter.com/zss2WWrAAG
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 31, 2022
In that short clip, Greinke was being interviewed, and he was asked what was it like to find out he was “the guy” in the Royals’ staff.
He stood there, dead serious, and said “probably the same as my reaction right now.”
Greinke Was The Only Logical Choice
It was a funny moment, but the truth is, if not Greinke, then who else could start for the Royals on Opening Day?
He had a 4.16 ERA with the Houston Astros last year, in 171 innings.
He also has a career 3.41 ERA in 3,110 frames, and has won lots of accolades and awards.
He is widely respected around the league.
The rest of the Royals’ starters will be some group including Jackson Kowar, Kris Bubic, Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch, or Carlos Hernandez.
Most of them don’t have the merits, at least yet, to take the ball over Greinke.
Maybe Greinke will guide them and help them become successful major leaguers, but they are not there right now.
