The Kansas City Royals beat the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon 5-2.
The victory in the regular season finale moved Kansas City to 56-106 while the loss dropped New York to 82-80. It was a disappointing season for both teams as the Yankees failed to build upon a 2022 ALCS appearance and the Royals failed to get the organizational development they coveted.
Despite the disappointment for the Royals, the season ended on a high note as team legend Zack Greinke was given a rousing ovation when exiting the mound for potentially the final time.
You can see the heartwarming moment below:
While Greinke has not said that he will retire this offseason, he is a free agent, so there's certainly a good chance that was his last appearance - at least in a Kansas City uniform.
The 39-year-old Greinke is one of the most accomplished pitchers of his generation. Over a 20-year career that has spanned the Royals, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Angels, Brewers and Astros, Greinke has gone 224-156. He's got a lifetime 3.49 ERA, is a six-time Gold Glover, a six-time All-Star and a Cy Young winner.
This year was a major deviation from his career numbers, as he went 2-15 for Kansas City. He did get the win on Sunday, ending with a 5.06 ERA for the season. He went 5.0 innings, allowing four hits and one run.
Despite the lack of results, it was nice for him to get another chance to pitch where his career started and the foundation was laid.
Greinke will be a fringe Hall of Fame candidate whenever he's five years out from retirement.
We don't know if this is it yet, but if it was, what a way to go out.
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