One last step-up to the pitch

Late last night in Miami, the old F Scott Fitzgerald adage about no second acts gracing American lives was given a run for its money by an inconsequential game between the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins.

Adam Greenberg was set to face pitcher RA Dickey in an unlikely match-up, the manner of which neither player could have ever dreamed possible seven years ago.

In July 2005, Greenberg was stepping up to the batter’s box for his first time with the Chicago Cubs. The first pitch he faced was a 92 mph fastball from the Florida Marlins’ Valerio De Los Santos in the ninth inning of that game. The ball cannoned of his helmet and his night was over without ever really starting. It felt like his head exploded, he would later say.