Reds rookie Hunter Greene dominates, but Pirates win without getting a hit

The Pittsburgh Pirates found Hunter Greene to be unhittable, as the Cincinnati Reds rookie right-hander mixed a 100-mph fastball with an electric slider for seven-plus scoreless innings on Sunday.

So the Pirates drew a line by drawing balls.

After three consecutive walks to load the bases with one out in the eighth inning, Ke’Bryan Hayes beat out a would-be double-play ball to score Rodolfo Castro for a 1-0 win over the Reds on Sunday afternoon before 10,559 at PNC Park.

“We’ll take it,” said Pirates starter Jose Quintana, who allowed three hits and one walk while striking out five in seven scoreless innings. “It was a little weird to get the win like that, but it is what it is. The ‘W’ is the most important. That’s all that matters.”

The Pirates made their way into the MLB history books in odd fashion, becoming only the sixth team since 1900 to get no-hit but still win. It was the first such win since the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Los Angeles Angels, 1-0, on June 28, 2008, despite a combined no-hitter over eight innings by Angels pitchers Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo.

“It’s never fun to get no-hit,” Pirates second baseman Josh VanMeter said. “To win takes the sting away a little bit.”

Elias Sports Bureau recognizes it as the Pirates being no-hit in a regulation-length game and the Reds throwing a no-hitter in “fewer than nine innings.”

Reds manager David Bell emphasized that, in his book, it should be viewed as a combined no-hitter by Greene and reliever Art Warren, who allowed one walk in two-thirds of an inning.

“We’re doing everything we can to win the game, and that’s the main goal. But you can’t take anything away from how special of a day that is for Hunter Greene,” Bell said. “The way he did it was just amazing to watch. … It’s just so special watching a performance like that, and the way he did it at this point in his career. It’s really cool to be a part of it for all of us.”

The 22-year-old Greene (1-6) threw 69 of his 118 pitches for strikes in 7 1/3 innings and had nine strikeouts with five walks. Ranked the No. 34 prospect by Baseball America, Greene set a major-league record in his second start by topping 100 mph 39 times in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 16.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder hit 100 mph or higher on the radar gun seven times against the Pirates with his four-seam fastball — topping out at 100.8 — but leaned more on his slider from the same release point. He threw the breaking ball 65 times and generated 11 whiffs on 30 swings and 13 called strikes.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton marveled at the no-hit performance of Reds rookie RHP Hunter Greene. pic.twitter.com/1LL01PLoTP

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) May 15, 2022

“I don’t know if you can be — this is obviously an understatement — if you can be on more than that,” Shelton said, noting Greene’s execution of his four-seamer and a slider that looked different from earlier this season. “To be (22), to be that poised and maintain your velocity, to maintain the breaking ball. That’s the most impressive thing.”

It was the first time the Pirates were no-hit since Aug. 25, 2020, when Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox did so while striking out 10 in a 4-0 win at Guaranteed Rate Field. The last time the Pirates were no-hit at home was nearly 10 years ago — also against the Reds — when Homer Bailey did so while striking out 10 in a 1-0 win on Sept. 28, 2012.

The Pirates’ best chance for a hit came in the seventh inning, when Yoshi Tsutsugo hit a fly ball to left-center that Reds center fielder Albert Almora Jr. caught after being clipped by left fielder Tommy Pham.

When Greene got VanMeter looking at a called third strike on the outside corner to end the seventh, Pirates manager Derek Shelton was ejected after arguing the call with home plate umpire Alfonso Marquez. Shelton was forced to watch the remainder of the game from his office.

Quintana pitched seven scoreless innings before being replaced by Chris Stratton (2-1) to start the eighth. Facing the bottom of the order, Stratton gave up a one-out double to Alejo Lopez and walked Colin Moran before striking out Matt Reynolds and getting Brandon Drury to fly out to left, ending the Reds’ best scoring threat.

Despite throwing 103 pitches through seven innings, Bell sent Greene out for the eighth. Greene got Jack Suwinski to ground out to first but walked Castro and Michael Perez before being replaced by Art Warren. Ben Gamel drew a walk off Warren to load the bases, then Hayes hit a chopper to second but sprinted to beat the throw and avoid the double play. That allowed Castro to score from third for a 1-0 Pirates lead.

That it ended in a loss made the no-hitter bittersweet for Greene.

“It’s hard not to let your mind drift to that accolade, but, you know, it is what it is,” Greene said. “You’ve got to embrace all the thoughts and emotions in that moment and just go out there and have fun. Hopefully, I’m gonna have a lot more opportunities for that. I’m looking forward to that.”

David Bednar retired the Reds in order in the ninth, getting a groundout to VanMeter at second to clinch the win and earn his seventh save. Afterward, the Pirates were pinching themselves over the outcome.

“He had our number today,” VanMeter said of Greene, “but, at the end of the day, what matters in this league is getting wins – and we found an interesting way to get a win.”