- Former outfielder for the Chicago Cubs
- He was one of two players in league history to be hit by a pitch in their only plate appearance without ever taking the field
Adam Daniel Greenberg (born February 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He was an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball in 2005 and was best known for being hit in the head in his major league debut on the first pitch of his first plate appearance. He suffered a compound skull fracture from the pitch.
Greenberg was one of two players in league history to be hit by a pitch in their only plate appearance without ever taking the field. However, a successful online petition drive in 2012 led to him getting signed by the Miami Marlins to a one-day contract. He had one at bat for the Marlins and struck out on three pitches. He agreed to a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles for 2013, but the option wasn’t pursued.
He also played parts of five seasons with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball near his hometown.
On July 9th, 2005, Adam Greenberg stepped into the batter’s box for his first major-league plate appearance with the Chicago Cubs. That moment was the culmination of his life’s work and proudest achievement up to that point.
No one suspected the triumph of that moment would be obliterated by a 92 mile-an-hour first-pitch fastball striking Adam just under his helmet on the back of his head. The first pitch of his major-league career threatened not only the future of his ability to play baseball, but life itself.
Adam didn’t know it at the time, but that pitch was a gift. What was both the greatest and worst split-second of his life sent him into an odyssey of struggle, pain, and confusion which forged him slowly into the man he is today. What he thought was the destroyer of his dream was actually the birth of a greater one.
Get Up | The Art of Perseverance is not simply a baseball story or a story about a baseball player. This story is a beginning. No matter what you’re doing or what you’re facing, Adam offers his story of overcoming adversity and persevering through challenges in hopes of helping you relentlessly pursue your dream for your life
