That time Zack Greinke started three games in a row for the 2012 Milwaukee Brewers

On Saturday and Sunday, the Tampa Rays made a bit of outside-the-box history when they deployed reliever Sergio Romo to start back-to-back games, the first time in 38 years a player has started consecutive games after working at least one inning in the first game.

Romo struck out the side against the Los Angeles Angels before giving way to scheduled "starter" Ryan Yarbrough on Saturday, part of a 5-3 win. On Sunday, Romo worked another scoreless first, then got an out in the second before Matt Andriese relieved him in a Rays loss.

RELATED:Tampa Bay Rays' Sergio Romo gets first career start, makes history against Angels

The thinking was to mitigate the top of the Angels' order, giving a tough part of the lineup to a reliever who could throw full-tilt, then give the "starter" a chance to work deeper into the game without facing the toughest part of the order a third time.

It's an unconvential (and fascinating) approach. It also calls to mind a quirky bit of Brewers history. Romo was the first player to start back-to-back games under any circumstances in Major League Baseball since Zack Greinke accomplished the feat for the Brewers in 2012. Perhaps you've forgotten the details.

In fact, Greinke started three straight games for the Brewers. On July 7, facing the Houston Astros, Greinke was ejected before recording an out, facing just two batters (and still winding up with the loss). He came back to pitch July 8 against the Astros and lasted three innings, though Milwaukee won, 5-3. Those two games bellied up against the All-Star break, and when Milwaukee played again July 13, Greinke started again against the Pirates in a 10-7 Brewers win, working five innings.

Greinke became the first pitcher to start three straight games in a season since Red Faber of the Chicago White Sox from Sept. 3-4, 1917. Another pitcher, Sam McDowell of Cleveland, started three games from 1965-1966, but two of the starts bridged the end and start of a new season.

"I'm considering it a record," Greinke said at the time. "Even though it's been done before, I feel like it's the first time ever being done. I'm excited about it. Hopefully, the results will be better. I think it's really neat, actually."

In the first game, umpire Sam Holbrook took exception when Greinke spiked the ball in the dirt after a close play at first, just four pitches into Greinke's start. The pitcher said he was expressing frustration in his inability to cover first, not expressing outrage with the safe call. Holbrook had his back turned when Greinke spiked the ball.

"He said he thought Zack showed him up, was mad at the call," said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke, who was also ejected. "He overreacted. He didn't even see what happened. Zack was behind him -- he didn't even see him spike the ball or anything.

"You need to know 100 percent what happens if you're going to throw out a starting pitcher after four pitches in a ball game."

Added Greinke, "He beat me to the bag and I got real mad at myself because it was a mental mistake, and I think that's probably the first time I've never covered first on a ball hit to that side," he said. "So I was just really mad with myself. I don't know why I threw the ball down. I never make mental mistakes like that. I guess I was really upset with myself.

"I don't blame the umpire for what he did. I didn't mean it toward him; I thought the guy was safe. But I shouldn't have done that."

Greinke threw 66 pitches in his next start and allowed three runs in three innings, though he did double at the plate. The Brewers rallied from a 3-0 deficit and wound up winning the game in the 10th after scoring a pair of runs.

Coincidentally, Greinke starts against the Brewers at Miller Park on Monday, when Milwaukee opens a 10-game homestand against the Diamondbacks. Greinke just started against Milwaukee on May 15 in a 2-1 Diamondbacks win.