All former big league outfielder Adam Greenberg wants is one more big league at bat.
That’s all…just one.
You remember Greenberg, right? Sure you do. He’s the cat who, in July 2005, was called up by the Chicago Cubs and, in his first (and only) at plate appearance, was hit by a Valerio de los Santos fastball.
Yeah, that’s it. One pitch and his Major League career was over.
Matter of fact, Greenberg is one of only two players (Fred Van Dusen was the other in 1955 for the Philadelphia Phillies), to be hit by a pitch in their only big league plate appearance without ever taking the field. And sure, like Van Dusen, that one plate appearance against the Florida Marlins July 9, 2005 is more than any of us would ever get, but Greenberg’s not satisfied…dude still wants one more.
That’s where Matt Liston comes in.
The filmmaker (and rabid Cubs fan) has launched “One At Bat”…and it’s goal is simple.
I had a chance to catch up with Greenberg and, well, talk about that one plate appearance and, hopefully, that one at bat.
HOVG: True baseball fans seem to know your story…you’ve even been called “this generation’s Moonlight Graham”. In a nutshell, can you break down that fateful July 2005 at bat?
GREENBERG: The at bat in 2005 was the high and low point of my life. Just as my career was ready to get underway, it came to a screeching halt. I had the opportunity of a lifetime. I made it to the Major Leagues with the Chicago Cubs at 24 years old. Regardless of how it turned out, it was still the single greatest moment in my life!
HOVG: I know while with the Bridgeport Bluefish in 2011, you faced Valerio de los Santos (then with the Long Island Ducks) and got a hit. Had there been any contact between the two of you in the years prior? Did he or anyone from the Marlins organization ever reach out to you?
GREENBERG: I had not spoken to or heard from Valerio, or anyone in the Marlins organization until that at bat.
HOVG: Obviously, your name is back in the headlines thanks to Matt Liston’s “One At Bat” campaign. How did that all come about?
GREENBERG: Matt reached out to me prior to spring training this past year. He gave me some of his background and let me know what he wanted to do to help get me back to the big leagues. I gave him my blessing to, in essence, act as my agent to try and get me back with an organization to give me a chance to play my way back to the big leaguers. This campaign has taken on a life of its own and it has been amazing.
HOVG: Have you heard anything from any teams since the video started going viral?
GREENBERG: Matt keeps the correspondence between himself and the teams. I try and not get involved in who he is talking to…that makes it more fun and keeps me focused on the things I can control!
HOVG: Let’s say this all works out for you. I mean, crazier things have happened, right? Where, ideally, would you like to land?
GREENBERG: Back on a big league diamond is where I want it to be. Any team that gives me that shot is the team I want to proudly represent. This isn’t a charity case, I’m trying to prove that I can help a Major League club win games.
You can keep up with Adam Greenberg’s via Twitter at @adamgreenberg5 or follow his pursuit of that one at bat over at One At Bat or through his company Lurong Living.
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