Number 23

Game Date: August 30, 2009
Kansas City @ Seattle
Royals 3, Mariners 0 / Box Score
WP: Greinke (13-8), Rowland-Smith (2-2)
KC Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 50-80 / Record in August 10-20

On a 2-2 offering, Mark McGwire sent a ball between the shortstop and third baseman during the fourth inning. It would be the last hit an aging Mark Gubicza would give up that day. He went on to throw 107 pitches that day in Oakland, 69 of which where strikes. He had five strikeouts, so he had to rely on his defense. It was one of his final masterpieces. The date was June 15, 1995. He would retire just two years later. But number 23 had already left his mark on the baseball world by then.

His lively fastball and nasty slider allowed him to win 132 games in a Royals uniform. He finished slightly under .500 in his career, but he played for some bad Royals teams. In 1988 he won 20 games and finished third in the Cy Young Award contest. Unfortunately, the injury bug bit him and he never made more than 30 starts in a season after 1989, with the exception of 1995. The year he reached back in the tank one more time and produced the one-hitter at Oakland.

Fast forward 14 years to last night and another number 23 is on the mound for the Royals on the west coast. Zack Greinke throws a 2-0 pitch to Kenji Johjima in the bottom of the second and Johjima singles to center field. Greinke would go on to sit down 22 straight after that. He threw 114 pitches, 74 of which were strikes. He had five strikeouts, so he had to rely on his defense. It was one of the many masterpieces he’s thrown this season, but it may be the most impressive outing of his young career.

His lively fastball and nasty slider have allowed him to win 47 games in a Royals uniform. He’s slightly under .500 in his career, but he has played for some bad Royals teams. His anxiety order days seem to be behind him and he’s on the verge of greatness. Joe Posnanski says he’s the best pitcher in baseball and it’s getting harder and harder to disagree.

This number 23 seems to have picked up where the previous number 23 left off. If he’s able to avoid the injury bug, it’s hard to imagine the current version not surpassing the previous one and before he’s done, he might just become the best pitcher in Royals history. If that doesn’t excite you as a Royals fan, something is wrong.