The Royals selected Greinke in the first round of the 2002 MLB Draft with the sixth pick in the draft. Greinke played his first game for the Royals in May 2004. In 2006, he left the team during spring training because of depression and social anxiety disorder. He took some time away from baseball, and also did some pitching in the minor leagues. He returned to the Royals in 2007. In 2009, he had his best season for the Royals, finishing the season with a 16-8 record and a 2.16 ERA, which was the best ERA in Major League Baseball. He won many awards that year, including the Cy Young Award. He also set a Royals team record for the most strikeouts in one game on August 25, 2009, when he struck out 15 batters against the Cleveland Indians.