LOS ANGELES :Hunter Greene has announced his presence with authority.
The flame-throwing phenom from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame made his second major-league start Saturday night for the Cincinnati Reds, pitching into the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium.
In his first two starts, the 22-year-old Greene has thrown 172 pitches over 10 1/3 innings. Of those, 113 have been fastballs 59 of those have registered 100 mph or more, topping out at 101.7 mph. His 39 pitches at 100 mph or higher in Saturday’s game are a record since pitch-tracking began in 2008.
But, major-league hitters could time a bullet if given enough chances and Trea Turner did. He turned on a 99-mph fastball from Greene in the sixth inning, sending it into the left-field pavilion for a two-run home run. The Dodgers piled on after Greene left the scene, scoring four runs in the inning and beating the Reds 5-2 for their fifth consecutive win.
By comparison, it was a slow-speed chase for Reds hitters against Dodgers starter Julio Urias and less successful. Urias didn’t allow a hit until Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson scorched a one-hopper through second baseman Max Muncy and into center field with one out in the fifth inning.
t was a significant improvement over Urias’ first start of the season Sunday in Colorado when he didn’t retire a batter in the third inning, didn’t strike out any at all and showed decreased velocity on his fastball (an average of 91.4 mph) a concern after he also showed less life on his fastball during the shortened spring training.