New York Yankees @ Kansas City Royals: Michael King vs. Zack Greinke

Postseason-wise, this is a meaningless game. The Yankees were eliminated from playoff contention a week ago, and the Royals, well...the less said about the AL Central the better. For me, though, this isn’t a meaningless game because one of my favorite players is likely making his final appearance in Major League Baseball.

Zack Greinke has not had the dream farewell season. 2023 has been his worst campaign since 2005, and with his contract up after today, it looks like the future Hall of Famer may hang ‘em up after this outing; he’s never been the type of player to indulge in any attention whatsoever, so a season-long farewell tour was always highly unlikely. If today is the 2009 Cy Young Award winner’s final start, that’s kind of all that matters to me — the last chance to see one of the game’s great geniuses in action.

Michael King, on the opposite trajectory, will look to finish his season on a high note after showing real progress moving into the starting rotation. He struggled a little in his most recent start, the second consecutive against the Blue Jays, as he walked the same number of batters as he struck out. It’s possible there’s a little bit of fatigue setting in, as King has already seen a near-40 percent increase in his career high innings pitched. I wonder how long the leash Aaron Boone will have him on is today, with nothing else to play for but a positive start to the offseason.

The lineup is truly, truly stinky. The less said about it, the better. So for the last time in 2023: go Yankees.

How to watch

Location: Kauffman Stadium — Kansas City, MO

First pitch: 3:10 pm ET

TV broadcast: YES (NYY), Bally Sports Kansas City (KC)

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (NYY), KCSP 610 (KC)

Online stream: MLB.tv (out of market only)

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