CINCINNATI (AP) — Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene delivered a masterful performance Thursday night, throwing 109 pitches and giving up just one hit through a complete game shutout. Greene secured the final three outs to earn his first career complete game shutout, leading the Reds to a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs and keeping pace with the New York Mets for the third NL wild-card spot.
Earlier in the season, on April 7 against San Francisco, Greene had to leave in the ninth inning after retiring the first two batters with the Reds ahead 2-0. Following a single and a walk, manager Terry Francona brought in Tony Santillan to close out the inning. Greene reflected on that experience: “San Francisco flashed kind of through my mind. I was telling myself, ‘This is my game.’ I told [Francona] that next time I get deep into that situation, I want to finish it.”
This time, Francona didn’t hesitate. “I didn’t want to try,” the Reds skipper said. “We didn’t even have anyone throwing in the bullpen.”
Greene’s 107th pitch was a 101.5 mph strike two to Ian Happ, who struck out on five pitches for the final out. Greene finished the night with nine strikeouts and one walk over 109 pitches.
Greene retired the first 12 batters before a fielding error by Moises Ballesteros allowed a baserunner to reach to start the fifth inning. He did not allow a hit until Seiya Suzuki’s two-out double in the seventh. “The thing that sticks out is that it was 1-0,” Francona said. “There was no wiggle room. Coming off the other day in Sacramento, to back that up the way he did was really impressive.”
Greene’s previous start on Saturday against the Oakland Athletics was rough; he allowed five runs and two home runs while lasting just 2 1/3 innings. However, with the Reds fighting to stay in the playoff hunt, Greene responded emphatically. “The last game doesn’t define me,” he said. “There are a lot of ups and downs in this sport. I’ve been able to overcome a lot of those over the years.”
On the mound for the Cubs, starter Colin Rea matched Greene early but ran into trouble in the fourth inning. After allowing a leadoff double by Austin Hays, Hays scored on a double by Will Benson, driving in the game’s only run. Despite Rea recording a career-high 11 strikeouts, the night belonged to Greene.
Rea commented on the duel: “We were kind of going back and forth and having quick innings. He’s elite. We know how good he is. He threw his hardest pitch in the ninth inning. That’s special.”
The Cubs had clinched a postseason berth with an 8-4 victory in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and celebrated in the clubhouse. Their celebrations continued upon arriving in Cincinnati later that night, according to manager Craig Counsell.
Facing Greene proved to be a formidable challenge. “We scratched one run and you hear the music,” Francona said. “And that’s a good ballclub with a good lineup.”
Correction: This story has been updated to show that Seiya Suzuki recorded the Cubs’ first hit in the seventh inning. A previous version mistakenly credited Moises Ballesteros.
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AP MLB: Jeff Wallner, The Associated Press.
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/reds-pitcher-hunter-greene-no-004145906.html