Dodgers Interview: Local Product Hunter Greene on Making Postseason Debut in LA
LOS ANGELES — Reds starter Hunter Greene’s playoff debut comes on Tuesday on the mound he grew up staring at from the seats. The Notre Dame High School grad said it plainly: “It’s very special. I’m trying to take everything in, smell the roses, but still have a task at hand.” He added, “You dream about games and moments like this. It’s cool that I’m able to come back home, but obviously the task at hand is trying to get it done. A lot of emotions, but a lot of great emotions.”
The routine will not change just because the calendar flipped. “Nothing changes,” Greene said. “It is a more meaningful game, but the process stays the same from the moment I wake up all the way until the first pitch, and even from the first pitch to the last pitch in between innings. Process stays the same.”
Family will be in the building. The story goes back to Little League rides and bucket drills. “He’s just a really proud father,” Greene said of his dad. “I saw him last night and my mother as well and my brother. My sister’s in college, so I didn’t get to see her. My father was my coach from the very beginning and has been there every step of the way. He’ll be able to enjoy the game, but I know he’ll be stressing like every other game he comes to. He’s just a really proud father.”
He pitched here recently and was asked what carries over. Greene kept it basic. “Every game is different,” he said. “The process is the same. Take each pitch at a time, each batter at a time, each inning at a time, and be able to execute. Let the cards fall where they may. I put it in God’s hands. I can’t control that. All I can control is my process and taking one pitch at a time and having confidence in myself to execute.”
He watched from the bullpen on Sunday and saw the job through a different lens. “It’s a little harder to follow because you’re further from the action,” he said. “It was really cool to see it from our relievers’ perspective. The ups and downs of the game, the emotions, the roller coaster. I don’t know if I’ll ever be in that position again, maybe I will, maybe I won’t, but I have an appreciation for the mental toughness and strength it takes for relievers to get it done.” He noticed how fast things can turn. “(Nick) Lodolo coming out of the game, he had like two minutes to warm up. Seeing him try to flip that switch in a position he’s never been in and try to get the job done was special to see from that perspective.”
Dodger fans will be watching the Ohtani matchup. Greene did not overthink it. “Just continuing to double down on strengths and knowing who I am as a pitcher and having the utmost confidence in myself,” he said. “Obviously he’s a great talent, but I’m also in the big leagues as well. It’s really about taking one pitch at a time and being able to execute to the best of your ability.”
He was here last October too, just not in uniform. “I was here for the World Series last year,” he said. “MLB hosts a player suite for the World Series. There were a lot of current and former players in that suite. I think it was Games 2 and 3. There were a lot of us up there and we got to watch and have a lot of fun.” As a kid, he watched Dodgers stars and filed away images. “I grew up coming to these games as a kid,” Greene said. “To be here is a full circle moment. I got to see guys pitch and other great Dodger players.”
Ticket panic is not part of the plan. “I don’t play that game,” he said. “You can go down a pretty vicious rabbit hole when it comes to that. I’ve kept my distance with certain things and kept my circle small. Nothing too crazy. Just immediate family and friends.”
He circled back to what matters. “Process stays the same,” Greene said. “Take one pitch at a time. Execute. Have confidence.” And he kept a little space to look around at a ballpark he knows by heart. “It’s very special,” he said. “A lot of great emotions.”
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