So I checked the transcript of The Menagerie were Kirk speaks about the one time he met Captain Pike.
Well caught!
PIKE: Lieutenant Kirk.
KIRK: That’s right! It’s an honour to meet you, sir. Congratulations on your promotion to Fleet Captain.
I was so focused on Pike’s face since he has met Kirk before. But this is the first time Kirk has met Pike and this is the first thing he says to him. So of course that stands out in his memory in The Menagerie.