Zach Britton Is Zack Britton Now

“I will be going by my legal name ‘Zack’ instead of my stage name ‘Zach,’” Britton said.

Big news today involving a former Orioles star. 

No, Manny Machado has still not signed a contract. Former Baltimore closer Zach Britton has announced that he wants to be known as Zack now. 

Breaking News: I will be going by my legal name “Zack” instead of my stage name “Zach”..... everyone continue to breath normally... #beenlivingalie #birthcertfail

— Zack Britton (@zbritton) February 7, 2019

It was initially unclear whether the tweet was a joke or not, but the Yankees later sent a press release confirming the change. 

“Please note that Zack Britton has asked to have the spelling of his first name corrected to Zack (ending with a k),” the team said. “Could you please apply this change to all online usage, TV graphics and printed materials going forward?”

Britton’s tweet makes it sound like his parents intended for his name to be Zackary but it was written on his birth certificate as Zachary. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Ken Rosenthal says Zackary is the name that appears on Britton’s three-year, $39 million contract he signed with the Yankees this winter. 

The #Yankees’ Britton is switching the last letter of his first name from “h” to “k” because Zack is indeed his legal name and the way it appears on his baseball contract. Part of his motivation is to clear up any confusion with regard to marketing and endorsements.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 7, 2019

Whatever the backstory, we can all agree it’s more appropriate for a shutdown reliever to have his name end in K.