Reds ace Hunter Greene drops 2-word reaction after almost complete game win vs Giants 

It hasn't been easy going for the Cincinnati Reds this season, but Monday's performance by their star ace Hunter Greene should uplift the series in the clubhouse. The Reds were on the road to take on the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.

Greene almost pitched a complete game before being pulled out in the ninth inning with one out left. It was a close 2-0 game, so Reds manager Terry Francona didn't want to take any chances after Matt Chapman was walked by the pitcher. Ultimately, Tony Santillan came in relief and got the final out of the game to give the Reds a 2-0 win.

This capped off an exceptional night for Greene, who pitched 8.2 innings, during which he allowed only four hits, zero runs, one walk and seven strikeouts.

He later posted a two-word message on social media to celebrate the shutout win:

"My squad," he wrote on Instagram.

Hunter Greene's Instagram story (Source: @therealhuntergreene/Instagram)

Greene's stellar start beat another great outing from the other half inning. Giants starter Logan Webb struck out 10 in seven shutout innings. However, one inning later, after he was pulled, Giants reliever Camilo Doval surrendered two runs to Blake Dunn to land them in a 2-0 hole with only two innings remaining.

Terry Francona laments taking Hunter Greene out despite only one out remaining

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers - Source: Imagn

It was a tough call, but probably the right one by manager Terry Francona. He denied Hunter Greene a complete game after he put Matt Chapman and Jung Hoo Lee on basepaths.

With Heliot Ramos coming up as a potential winning run, Francona couldn't help but drag himself out from the clubhouse and take the ball away from Greene, followed by a pat on his back.

Tony Santillan then grounded Ramos out to earn the save and win.

After the game, the Reds manager discussed his decision.

"You know I didn't want to come out there [to take you out of the game]," Francona told Greene via Cincinnati.com. "That was fu**ing awesome. Way to go."

Greene understood Francona's call.

"He said it's fun to watch," Greene said. "You know, he didn't want to come out there. I didn't want to come out. Obviously I'm uber-competitive. I dream of games like today. I know it's not gonna be the last time. But I'm so glad, man, that we came through and the boys, we fought all the way to the end.

"Obviously it's been a tough stretch. But we're resilient. And we've got the right guys to pull off a game like today," he added.

With the win, the Reds improved to 4-7 while the Giants dropped to 8-2. Game 2 of the three-game series between both clubs takes place on Tuesday.