Cincinnati Reds Ace Hunter Greene Reaches 500 Strikeouts, Breaks Franchise Record

Hunter Greene tossed his 500th career strikeout Wednesday against the Texas Rangers, reaching the milestone fastest than any other pitcher in Cincinnati Reds history.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene (21) throws a pitch in the second inning of a game against the Texas Rangers at Great American Ball Park. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hunter Greene did more than just toss another gem against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.

The Cincinnati Reds right-hander had allowed just three hits, one walk and one run when he came back onto the mound for the top of the seventh. Dealing a 2-2 pitch to first baseman Jake Burger, Greene fired a 100 mile-per-hour fastball up and in.

Burger whiffed, and Greene officially notched the 500th strikeout of his MLB career. It took him just 74 games to reach that milestone, fewer than any other pitcher in Reds franchise history.

Greene finished the afternoon with eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings. He now boasts a 2.25 ERA and 0.667 WHIP through two starts this season.

500th career strikeout for @HunterGreene17‼️

Fewest games to 500 K in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/1OFPYt12Si

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 2, 2025

Greene went 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA, 1.018 WHIP and 6.2 WAR in 2024. The former No. 2 overall pick was named an All-Star for the first time, on top of finishing eighth in NL Cy Young voting.

After racking up 164 strikeouts as a rookie in 2022, Greene recorded 152 in 2023 and 169 in 2024. He now has 501 strikeouts in his career, which is 200 more than any other Cincinnati pitcher over the past four seasons.

Greene, 25, should continue to etch his name into the Reds' record books in the coming years, as he has four seasons – plus a team option – remaining on his contract.

Despite Greene's historic performance, he got stuck with the tough-luck loss as the Rangers held on to win 1-0. As a result, Reds dropped to 2-4 ahead of their weekend series with the Milwaukee Brewers.

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