Just like that, Yankees’ Britton goes from Zach to Zack

New York Yankees reliever Zack (yes, it's no longer Zach) Britton had some fun on Twitter on Thursday, reporting what he called "breaking news." "I will be going by my legal name ‘Zack' instead of my stage name ‘Zach'..... everyone continue to breath normally...," he wrote, adding the hashtags #beenlivingalie #birthcertfail.

No further explanation was given. That didn't stop others such as Fox reporter Ken Rosenthal from providing details, though. "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," Rosenthal wrote on Twitter. "Part of his motivation is to clear up any confusion with regard to marketing and endorsements."

Of course, it's only natural that the left-handed reliever who has been a reliable closer throughout his career, would have an affinity for K's. After getting traded last July by the Baltimore Orioles, he compiled a 1-0 record with a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings for the Yankees, finishing the season with a combined 2-0 record with a 3.10 ERA, seven saves and 34 strikeouts over 40 2/3 innings in 41 appearances. In January, Britton, 31, agreed to a three-year, $39 million guaranteed deal with the Yankees.

He compiled a 3.45 ERA over 16 appearances (15 2/3 innings) for the Orioles before he was dealt last season. In 2017, he had a 2.89 ERA over 38 appearances before suffering an Achilles injury. In 2016, he finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting after compiling a 0.54 ERA with 47 saves while giving up just 38 hits in 67 innings for the Orioles.

He converted an American League-record 60 consecutive save opportunities from Oct. 1, 2015, to Aug. 21, 2017. In a major league career that began in 2011 with Baltimore, Britton has a 31-22 record and 3.21 ERA over 331 appearances (46 starts), with 142 saves and 446 strikeouts in 541 2/3 innings.

Of course, if he decides to use the nickname "Special K," he better improve those strikeout totals. --Field Level Media