Zack Greinke makes MLB history thanks to Dusty Baker’s World Series lineup

Zach Greinke is the Astros starting pitcher for Game 4 of the World Series but it’s his spot in the batting order that has him making MLB history. 

In a crucial spot for the Houston Astros, manager Dusty Baker decided to give the ball to veteran pitcher Zach Greinke for Game 4 of the World Series. Though he hasn’t been asked to eat too many innings in the postseason, a strong start to the game from the hurler would be huge for Houston in the long run.

While his pitching will be crucial in determining who wins Game 4 and, perhaps, how the rest of the World Series plays out, though, Greinke is already making history before the first pitch he throws.

However, it has nothing to do with pitching and, rather, everything to do with his spot in the batting order as Baker put him in the No. 8 hole ahead of catcher Martin Maldonado, who’s hitting ninth.

Zach Greinke joins Babe Ruth in MLB history with his spot in Game 4 lineup

By hitting eighth in the Astros lineup for Game 4, Greinke joins a pretty impressive name as the only pitcher to hit above ninth in the order in World Series history: Babe Ruth.

Now, there is one interesting wrinkle to this bit of history, which is it’s entirely possible that Greinke could end up not getting an opportunity to bat, which would be a bummer given this tidbit.

If the Astros went down 1-2-3 in their first two trips to the plate as a team and Greinke only pitched two innings before being pulled, that would likely mean he would be pinch-hit for. We shall see, however, how things play out with this bit of history.