In the aftermath of Aly Raisman's glittering triumph at this past summer's Summer Olympics in London, a different kind of Jewish sports hero is now making headlines.
Adam Greenberg is one of the few major leaguers who's had a bar mitzvah. He's also one of the mercifully few who's been seriously hurt at the plate. But for Greenberg, the injury was particularly painful because it was occurred during first major league at-bat. Now, after years paying his dues by playing for independent clubs, the outfielder is heading back to the bigs for one more at-bat, according to ESPN.
In 2005, Greenberg was hit in the head by the first pitch he faced as a rookie Chicago Cub. The fastball delivered by Valerio de los Santos of the Florida Marlins left him with a concussion. He never made it back to the big leagues.
But he didn't quit, instead building a solid career for himself on independent teams like the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League, all the while hoping to return to a major league team.
This year, a Chicago Cubs fan started an online petition to get Greenberg another chance. The Cubs declined, but the Marlins offered him a one-day contract to play in their Oct. 2 game against the New York Mets, according to the ESPN article.
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