ATLANTA – It has been a weekend-long coronation for the defending World Series champions in Atlanta with a banner unveiling on Thursday, a hoisting of the championship flag on Friday and the ringing ceremony on Saturday.
Sunday was a trip to the future of the Cincinnati Reds. The spotlight on this day belonged to Hunter Greene’s long awaited Major League debut.
There were times on Sunday when Greene more than lived up to the hype and beat six of the first 10 batsmen he faced. He threw 20 fast balls over 100 mph, reaching almost 102 mph on his fastest pitch. His shooter had good moves, a pitch he has developed throughout his minor-league career, and drew several swings and misses.
Greene was not as dominant at the end of his outing, giving up two homers, but it was a quality debut in a 6-3 win over Atlanta at Truist Park in front of 38,233 fans, which helped the Reds save a split in the fire. game series to open the season.
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“I was fine out there,” Greene said. “I felt like I was at home. A lot of people said, ‘don’t look up.’ But I looked up right when I got out there. I wanted to take it all in and enjoy it. I felt really comfortable out there.”

The 22-year-old Greene, the second-youngest pitcher in the Majors and the eighth-youngest overall, allowed three runs on four hits and two walks, while hitting seven in 92 pitches. As he walked off the mound after his last lap, his family raised their arms and clapped from the crowd. His father, Russell, patted his heart.
As much as Greene has been waiting for this day – he was famous on a Sports Illustrated cover as a high school student – he looked clear and mature in his debut. His first pitch was a 98-mph fastball that required a strike. He ramped up to 101 mph with the next dough and got his first strikeout of his career. He finished the first round by beating Austin Riley out on three lanes, a player who finished in seventh place in last year’s National League MVP poll.
“He kept throwing strikes and kept going on the attack,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He could not have handled today better than he did.”
Even when Greene was behind on batsmen, in clear fastball counts, batter had trouble catching up with the heat. In Greene’s first trip through the Atlanta lineup, he had five strikeouts and nine whiffs on 16 turns. He did not allow a stroke until Matt Olson hit a 101.6 mph fastball in the fourth inning.
“One of my favorite memories was a couple of times that he hit a guy out and he doesn’t show very much emotion, but he had a little ‘come on’ or a little shout that was really funny,” said Red catcher Tyler Stephenson .
The Reds gave Greene a five-run lead in the third inning. Nick Senzel’s speed was the key to extending the rally, hitting a potential double play with an inning end to run in a race. Colin Moran followed with an RBI single to the right field for his first hit in a Reds uniform, and after knocking starter Ian Anderson out of the game, Kyle Farmer added a two-runs single.
Greene was not so unmoved in his second time through the row as the Atlanta batsmen began to swing earlier in counts. Riley hit a double from the midfield wall in the fourth inning, and Marcell Ozuna ran in a race with a sacrificial fly. With two runners at base, Greene escaped further injury when Alex Dickerson lined up for Joey Votto at first base. Greene celebrated with a fist pump.
“It turned me on,” Greene said. “I was going into the fifth and I think, ‘I go all the way.’ I wanted the win. The team put me in a great position to win today.”
In the fifth inning, Greene handed over solo homers to Travis d’Arnaud and Olson. He admitted he was tired eventually and threw more lanes than he had had all spring.
All Sunday afternoon, it was easy to see what the Reds were imagining as they drafted Greene with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. There is no teaching in his speed. His shooter is a quality pitch in itself and his change was solid.
“He gets determined in himself, he tried not to do too much,” Bell said. “When he got off the track, maybe a track here, a track there, he was able to get back on track. It’s pretty impressive.”
This was just the first glimpse of Greene’s potential. He has the talent to become the ace of the pitching staff. The Reds may at some point this season have a rotation with Greene, Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle and Nick Lodolo together.
Greene showed that his future is bright. And like the winning pitcher Sunday, the current version of Greene also looks pretty good.