BOSTON – One day after Hunter Greene signed his name inside of the Green Monster at Fenway Park, he displayed the electricity in his arm that few pitchers could match in the ballpark’s 110-year history.
He struck out seven of the first 10 batters he faced, throwing 13 fastballs above 100 mph. There were times when his slider resembled the trajectory of a frisbee.
Then as quickly as Greene started, everything fell apart. Greene went from untouchable to vulnerable, lasting only 3 2/3 innings.
"Honestly, for me, I lost the focus on staying present," Greene said.
"You do well early and you get, I don't want to say complacent, but you're happy with how you're doing and you want to continue to be on that roll.
I think that's a dangerous place to be sometimes.
The first three innings Wednesday were on a different level. He was constantly on the attack, throwing a first-pitch strike to 15 of his 17 batters on a 56-degree evening. He struck out the first four batters he faced, two strikeouts shy of the Reds’ record to begin a game.
"Nobody wants to hit 100 mph fastballs when it’s cold outside," Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said.
Red Sox hitters, in their first at-bats, didn’t stand a chance. Greene painted the outside corner with a 101-mph fastball to strike out Xander Bogaerts. Rafael Devers whiffed on a slider in the first inning and said to himself, “Wow. Wow. Wow.” Bobby Dalbec chased a slider that ended up in the chalk of the opposite batter’s box.
What was amazing was he came out throwing as hard as he’s thrown all year for the first few hitters," Reds Manager David Bell said. "Just really blowing it by ‘em, and that’s saying a lot against those guys. Then he went to the slider and it was like they didn’t know what to do."
"It’s tough when you don’t win games and you have the rough innings or whatever, but I mean, he’s ahead of where he should be," Bell said. "The key is to keep learning along the way and I know he’ll do that."
"His future is very bright," Tyler Stephenson said. "He’s still learning. He works hard and he wants to get better. The ability to continue to learn is what is going to make him great down the road.”