Zack Greinke Deserves So Much Better, and So Does the Astros’ Near Dynasty — Houston Needs a Win For History After Donald Trump Delights in the Tomahawk Chop

ATLANTA — The Zack Greinke family group in the 100 level, just a little ways above and back of the Houston Astros dugout, seems extra strong on this chilly but largely dry October night in Georgia. There are several Greinke No. 21 jerseys in the section, perhaps only outdone in terms of easy noticeability by the professionally customized Kendall Graveman jean jacket that someone in the Astros reliever’s family is wearing. At 38 years old in his 17th Major League season, Zack Greinke is making his third World Series start ever. His people know what this means.

Who knows if there ever will be another one. Or even another start period.

The only certainty is that Zack Greinke has this night. At least the start of it. And he gives the Astros everything he has, gives them the chance to wrest back control of this 117th World Series. Greinke puts up four scoreless innings, which is about as long as he can go considering his late season realities. He leaves with the Astros up 2-0.

Then. . . well, we’ve seen what can happen when Zack Greinke leaves a World Series start for the Astros before. In 2019, it arguably cost the most talented Astros team ever the world championship that would have cemented this team as an all-time dynasty. Greinke had more to give on that night. On this night in 2021, he really didn’t.

But that does not make the Atlanta Braves’ eventual 3-2 comeback win any less devastating to Greinke and the Astros. Suddenly, the team whose comeback fight overwhelmed the Boston Red Sox and a fearsome Fenway Park crowd is one game from elimination in this World Series. Down three games to one in the series, needing to shut up Atlanta’s incessant Tomahawk Chop party on Halloween night here just to force the Fall Classic back to Houston.

Much of the rest of the baseball world is loving this. Even Donald Trump showed up at Truist Park, seemingly to root against the Astros.

Zack Greinke deserves better than this. This entire oft dominant Astros run of the last five years deserves better than this. To go out like this in this seven year old ballpark shoehorned into the Cobb Country suburbs after getting the best of Fenway — and Yankees Stadium (twice) and Dodgers Stadium in prior runs — would be like going broke eating at Burger King after feasting at five star restaurants for years.

“Tough game,” Greinke says.

Greinke is tough on the Braves hitters, keeping them off balance with major swings in velocity. He throws 69 and 70 mph curves, 89 and 90 MPH fastballs and 87 MPH change ups on this night. This is an artist at work.

He lowers his ERA to 1.80 in three World Series starts (all for the Astros). And isn’t any closer to his first world championship.

“Tough question,” Greinke says when asked afterwards if he wants to pitch next year. “I don’t think I want to answer that at this time.”

It’s hard to completely imagine Zack Greinke retiring after this season. After all, this night shows he can still be very effective even when the stakes are at their very highest. But it is easy to imagine Greinke — who is a free agent to be — deciding to pitch somewhere else than for the Astros. And the Astros maybe deciding that too.

Greinke and the Astros’ Last Stand?

If Houston’s season ends with a frightful Halloween performance in Atlanta, a number of key players from this golden era of Astros baseball could be going out with a whimper. Chief among them $350 million-plus free agent superstar to be Carlos Correa, of course.

Correa, who is 2 for 14 with one RBI in this World Series, hit three times in the batting cage before this Game 4 loss. Alex Bregman, who is 1 for 14 with one RBI, took four different sessions in the batting cage. The Astros are desperately working, grinding to try and flip the switch. But little is taking yet.

“They have good pitchers, and they’ve been executing every pitch,” Jose Altuve says. “So they’re not giving us a lot of pitches to hit. We’re trying hard as hitters. We’ve got a good lineup, we know. But sometimes you have to give credit to the other team.”

“He was vintage Greinke.” — Astros manager Dusty Baker

Altuve scores both of the Astros runs and hits a home run on Saturday night. But the Astros still find themselves pushed right up to the edge of the cliff. Dusty Baker’s team has no margin for error anymore. Not after scoring two runs in 18 innings in Atlanta.

Much of the rest of the baseball world is loving this. Even Donald Trump showed up at Truist Park, seemingly to root against the Astros. Trump breaks into the Tomahawk Chop with the Atlanta crowd, one of the most 0n-brand moves ever. Melania Trump seems a tad less enthusiastic about the whole thing.

Of course, this Braves crowd does not need an ex-President to get it going. When the Astros bullpen starts to buckle in the late innings, the entire stadium goes dark momentarily between Houston pitching changes as more than 42,000 people turn on their cellphone flashlights and do the Tomahawk Chop (what else?) at a near deafening volume.

There are gladiators in Rome who enjoyed the competition stage more than the Astros relievers this night. Meanwhile, the Braves think they’re directing their own sports movie. How could they not with Georgia-raised Dansby Swanson homering in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game at two and pinch hitter Jorge Soler following him with a home run just over the little green chain-link wall in left field — and a wall crashing Yordan Alvarez — to give the Braves their first lead just three pitches later?

How could they not with Eddie Rosario making one of the most ridiculous and star-kissed catches to rob Jose Altuve at that small wall in the top of the eighth inning? Rosario does not play the ball particularly well, but he races back, sticks his glove out with an abundance of hope. . . and somehow snares Altuve’s shot.

“I feel like Super Rosario right now,” he says afterwards, wearing a white T-shirt with a giant colorful eye and lashes that would Kim Kardashian swoon on it.

Yes, the Braves are playing like this World Series is a blast, their very own baseball rave with 42,000 plus invited guests. And the Astros are playing it like they’re going into dental surgery.

“I’ve always said the team that has that little boy in them that comes out are teams that do good in the postseason,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker says. “If you’d have heard our dugout in the bottom of the ninth inning, I would have thought I was in an Little League dugout, the way guys were cheering for each other. And I really believe that.

“I think the teams that just play with emotion and enjoy what they’re doing and all in the postseason are really dangerous.”

Zack Greinke is not one for showing much emotion. But on this night, he is the most effective pitcher in a World Series game. At 38.

“He was dealing, and he threw up some key double plays,” Baker says. “He was vintage Greinke.”

One of the best hitting pitchers in baseball history even adds a single to center. Yes, Zack Greinke has as many hits in this World Series as Alex Bregman does. He deserves better from this night than the hollow feeling of this fall-from-ahead 3-2 loss.

That’s how these Astros World Series starts seem to go for Greinke. Brilliance followed by pain.

One of baseball’s true originals may be shuffling off the stage. Almost certainly the Astros stage. The Astros cannot bring back Zack Greinke’s World Series moments and make them right. But they can give their near dynastic run its proper respect by ruining Atlanta’s party on this Halloween night.