Reds' Ace Hunter Greene Showcases Leadership With Support of Ian Gibaut

After Reds' reliever Ian Gibaut blew the save in the ninth inning on Thursday, it wouldn't have been surprising for Hunter Greene to have been frustrated that his performance was wasted in the postgame locker room.

Greene gave up two runs on three hits in five innings on Thursday afternoon against the Giants. He struck out eight.

Instead, Greene showcased his leadership and went over and talked to Gibaut after the loss and let him know the team has his back.

"Ian's a dog," Greene said. "I know fans might not want to hear it, but they need to believe that because he is. The last couple of years he's been with us, he's been in tight situations, and he's made it look easy getting out of them. This game is difficult. He wasn't able to do that today, but he's one of our best pitchers."

This isn't a side of Greene we have seen in the past. The 25-year-old seems locked in and focused this year like we haven't seen him before.

When asked why he felt he needed to support Gibaut, Greene's answer spoke volumes.

"Because I easily could not have done it," Green continued. "I could have been selfish and stayed at my locker. That's not who I am and that's not my character. I want him to know that I support him and I look past what happened today, and I know the rest of that team feels that way as well."

"It's very tough and I have a great relationship with Ian, and it goes way beyond the baseball field. I know how hard he works. I know he wants to represent the city well. I know he wants to represent the organization well. Sometimes, it comes down to one pitch and we are at the highest level. Just like our pitchers are good, hitters are good. They work just as hard as us. You don't win them all."

It’s easy to forget that Hunter Greene is still only 25, but the way he stood up for his teammate after Thursday’s tough loss speaks volumes about his maturity and the kind of person he’s become.