Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene is about to make his debut in the MLB playoffs this Tuesday, and it will be against the team he grew up rooting for, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Greene has earned the nod to be the Game 1 starter for the Reds in their National League Wild Card Series versus the reigning World Series champions at Dodger Stadium. Born in Los Angeles, the 26-year-old Greene will be tasked with dealing with the powerful Dodgers offense that finished the 2025 MLB regular season second in the big leagues with a .768 OPS.
Playing in his fourth season in the big leagues, all with the Reds, Greene is just embracing the reality of being a playoff starter at last. He also shared how his father reacted to the news.
“Just a really proud father,” Greene said when asked what his father's reaction as well was like to his getting Game 1 duties against the mighty Dodgers (h/t Michael J. Duarte of NBC LA).
“I saw him last night, and my mother as well, and my brother, my sister in college starting this year. I got to spend some great time with my family last night, and just a full circle moment. My father was my coach in the very beginning and has been there every step of the way. So, for him, I think his biggest thing is he's just a proud father, and he's going to be able to enjoy the game, but also I know he'll be stressing just like every other game he comes to, but all for good reason. He's just a really proud father.”
This is not Greene's first time facing the Dodgers this season. He had a lone start versus LA, also at Dodger Stadium, in August, when he allowed three earned runs in six hits, including two home runs, while striking out three batters and walking two in five innings of a 7-0 loss.
However, Greene is entering the playoffs with the Reds in good form. Over his last five starts, Greene went 2-0 with a 2.64 ERA across 30.2 innings. He gave up just two or fewer runs in four of those appearances.
