by Pittsburgh Pirates ace and phenom Paul Skenes almost made history last night against divisional rival Milwaukee Brewers. Skenes, the highly anticipated rookie and top MLB prospect, pitched an outstanding outing despite being pulled before finishing his no-hitter gem. After 7 innings of work, Skenes had a total of 11 strikeouts, 1 walk, and gave up 0 hits and 0 runs on his 99-pitch quality start. Skenes also lowered his earned run average to a fantastic 1.90 ERA and picked up his 6th win on the season. His next anticipated start would be against the Philadelphia Phillies after the All-Star break.
On the year, Paul Skenes holds an impressive 6-0 record on 66.1 innings pitched, giving up 13 walks and 48 hits, allowing 14 earned runs, and ringing up 89 strikeouts on his early rookie campaign. Before being promoted to Pittsburgh earlier this season, Skenes was a dominant force for their AAA affiliate Indianapolis Indians. After just 7 starts, Skenes had a 0-0 record with a 0.99 ERA in 27.1 innings pitched, giving up 8 walks and 17 hits, allowing only 4 earned runs, and struck out 47 batters.
Before becoming a Pittsburgh Pirate, Paul Skenes was a force to be reckoned with in college. He started his collegiate career at Air Force, where he played his first 2 years. During his time at Air Force, he had a 11-4 record with a combined 100 games pitched (starting in 15 and relieving in 85 games). He had a 2.72 ERA with 126 strikeouts, 39 walks, and 40 earned runs. After his time at Air Force, Skenes joined Louisiana State University (LSU) and had a season to remember. Skenes helped LSU achieve a NCAA World Series title in 2023, after he had a dominant campaign all season long. In just 19 starts at LSU, Skenes had a 13-2 record with a 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings pitched, having struck out 209 batters (yes, this is legit) and walked 20 batters, as well as giving up 28 earned runs. This ultimately led to Paul Skenes being drafter #1 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2023 MLB Draft.
As time goes on in Skenes’ early career, he is growing in popularity with not just his impressive outings, his girlfriend/LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, or his glorious mustache, but due to his consistency of hitting 100+ mph pitches with ease. An eye-opening 74 total pitches have been recorded this year above 100 mph by Skenes, which makes him one of the hardest throwing pitchers currently in the MLB in company with Oakland Athletics reliever Mason Miller and Cincinnati Reds starter Hunter Greene, to name a few.
Due to his dominance in both the AAA and MLB this season, Skenes has earned himself a pitching spot on the 2024 MLB All Star team for the National League in his rookie season. He is also currently in the running for NL Cy Young Award (given to the top pitcher of the National League) and is a candidate for the MLB Rookie of the Year. With half the season complete, everyone has their eyes on Skenes to see how his rookie campaign concludes, hopefully leading the Pirates to a playoff spot.
