Rarely does a foul ball come back to hurt a pitcher, but on Tuesday, Hunter Greene was feeling the pain.
During a live batting practice session in Arizona on Tuesday afternoon, Greene, 24, was on the mound and pitching to Elly De La Cruz when the budding infielder smacked a liner foul — that clipped and smashed one of the windows of the pitcher’s car.
Pictures and videos on social media of the SUV showed a baseball-sized shattering of the rear window on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
“You’re paying for that!” Greene said after the damage was done, per Fox 19.
“You make more than me,” De La Cruz retorted to the $53 million pitcher, according to reporter Mike Petraglia.
Greene posted a photo on his Instagram Story with De La Cruz, captioning it: “Better have @safelite on speed dial.”
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft then posted a video of the damage, writing “Real as it gets for those of you questioning.”
The Reds are hoping what’s also “real” is that they can build off their turnaround last season that saw them finish 82-80 and just shy of a National League wild-card berth.
Greene and Cruz would be two of the cogs that could get Cincinnati back into the postseason for the first time since the shortened 2020 season.
Though Greene has a 4.62 ERA over his first two MLB seasons, he has one of the game’s premier fastballs that averages 98 mph and has helped him whiff more than 30 percent of the batters he’s faced since entering the big leagues.
De La Cruz burst onto the scene last year with an impressive start to his rookie campaign, hitting for the cycle in just his 15th career game.
The 22-year-old electrified fans with his five-tool abilities, even stealing three bases — including home — during one inning last season.
He struggled down the stretch, though, hitting .191 in his final 68 games.
Now, the Reds are hoping for another break.
Credit: Source link
