There is a buzz surrounding Hunter Greene’s starts, from fans and players alike, knowing the possibility to witness something they’ve never seen before on the mound.
When Greene took the mound for his first career start at Great American Ball Park on Friday, the electricity was missing.
Greene’s fastball velocity was down nearly 5 mph from his last start, and he lasted only 3 1/3 innings as the Cincinnati Reds lost 4-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals for their 10th consecutive loss. It’s the club’s longest losing streak in six seasons.
After Greene threw 39 pitches above 100 mph in Los Angeles, an MLB record since pitch-tracking data was collected in 2008, he didn’t have any pitches above 97 mph in his home debut on a 79-degree evening.