Zack Greinke hilariously switched pitch-calling duties with Salvador Perez in the middle of an at-bat
Zack Greinke joined exclusive company on Saturday when he became just the fifth pitcher in MLB history to strike out 1,000 different batters. As cool as the milestone was for the future Hall of Famer, Greinke still went into the game with his own unique approach to baseball.
He didn’t wait long to try something new out there.
Facing the Brewers’ Jesse Winker in the first inning, Greinke — who typically calls his own pitches in a PitchCom role reversal — decided that he wanted catcher Salvador Perez to take over the pitch-calling duties with Winker facing a 1-2 count.
He signaled to Perez as if to say “your turn” and let the Royals catcher lead the approach to Winker.
Zack Greinke alternating pitch calling with Salvy.
I feel like they're just having a contest to see who's better at it. pic.twitter.com/HexGHrjKAB
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 14, 2023
I could see pitchers and catchers changing the approach with each batter, but only Greinke would do something like that in the middle of an at-bat. After all, this is the same pitcher who shakes off his own pitch calls.
The strategy worked too because Winker would strike out in the at-bat. MLB fans also enjoyed this latest delightful moment from Greinke.