Cincinnati Reds Ace Hunter Greene Extends Historic Hot Streak With Another Gem
The Cincinnati Reds dominated the first two-thirds of their showdown with the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, thanks in large part to the quick work of their young ace.
Hunter Greene dealt yet another gem, not allowing a hit until there were two outs in the top of the fourth. That was the only hit Greene would give up, too, as he wound up tossing 6.0 scoreless innings to gift the Reds a 6-0 lead.
Cincinnati's bullpen let San Francisco make it close down the stretch, but they still held on to win 6-4.
Greene got credit for the win, on top of the 11 strikeouts he racked up.
Over his last five starts, Greene has allowed 10 hits, nine walks and one run, all while recording 40 strikeouts in 33.0 innings. That is good for a 0.27 ERA, 0.576 WHIP and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings, making Greene one of the hottest pitchers in baseball.
Greene has gone 21.0 straight innings without allowing a run, posting three scoreless performances in a row.
MLB.com's Sarah Langs contextualized just how dominant Greene has been as of late when she noted that he is now one of just two pitchers to strike out 40-plus batters, allow 10 or fewer hits and give up one or zero runs in a five-start span since 1900. The only other player to achieve the feat is Jacob deGrom, who did so with the New York Mets in 2021.
Stretching back one more start, Greene has now gone six consecutive outings allowing one or fewer runs.
According to Langs, that is tied for the longest such streak in Reds single-season history. The last player to do so was Johnny Vander Meer in 1938.
Greene is now 8-4 with a 2.83 ERA, 1.020 WHIP and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings this season. He entered Saturday with a 4.5 WAR, which led all National League pitchers.
The righty was 9-20 with a 4.62 ERA, 1.309 WHIP and 2.9 WAR between 2022 and 2023, falling short of his expectations as both the No. 5 pitching prospect in baseball and the owner of a six-year, $53 million contract.
Greene, who is set to turn 25 years old on Tuesday, has since established himself as the ace of the Reds' rotation, as well as a serious contender to win NL Cy Young. He made his first career All-Star appearance last month, and he will remain one of the most feared pitchers in baseball as long as his
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