Friday, April 12, 2013

Is Zack Greinke a junk-ball pitcher?

Yesterday, a brawl erupted between the Doyers and the Madres.  If you haven't seen it, here it is:



Greinke suffered a broken collarbone in his left (non-pitching) shoulder.  First and foremost, I would like to wish him a full recovery, however long it takes.  Even if he can't take the mound again until after the Doyers have fallen out of contention, so be it.  What's important is that he take his time and make sure he is 100% fully healed before he attempts even a minor league rehabilitation assignment.  Greinke shouldn't let his $147 million contract pressure him into attempting to come back too soon and perhaps risk an even greater injury.

Be patient, Zack.  Be patient.

That being said, I'd like to take a closer look at the mechanics of the brawl.  Due to the hectic nature of the fracas, I'm having trouble pinpointing the precise moment that Greinke breaks his collarbone.  I have, however, narrowed it down to two likely moments.

The first is at the very beginning of the brawl, when Greinke throws his best shoulder check at Quentin.  Take a look:



It is entirely possible that this is when Greinke's shoulder snapped, especially considering the fact that Quentin, who has a good fifty bills on the scrawny RHP, was charging at full speed.  Just look how far back Greinke flew after the hit!

Had I not come across the additional photographic evidence that I did, I probably would have left things there.  However, still photos of the brawl reveal a very interesting sequence featuring Greinke's left arm.

See for yourself:




I can't help but wonder if that move put too much torque on Greinke's arm, thus resulting in the broken left collarbone.

Anyway, these disquieting photographs leave me with two troubling and unanswered questions:

(1) Is Zack Greinke a junk-ball pitcher?

And,

(2) Was Hyun-Jin Ryu doing this during the brawl?


  . . . the world may never know.

2 comments:

  1. After managing Greinke for several years in the PFBL, I'm guessing this is his way of protesting new management.

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  2. One of my favorite nicknames of all time... Zack i before e except in Greinke....

    I guess no one taught him not to play tackle baseball... I went back and watched the inning unfold on the LA broadcast. Vin Scully just gets done talking about the football player that Carlos Quentin was in high school, as if he knows what's about to happen. I guess after 60+ years in the booth, you just know.

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