Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal named as MLB All-Star Game starting pitchers
The choices were revealed Saturday on Fox, which will broadcast the game in Atlanta on Tuesday night. Skenes, 23, will be the youngest pitcher to start back-to-back All-Star Games. Skubal, 28, will be making his second straight appearance. Both pitched a scoreless inning in last year's game.
Advertisement
Skenes and Skubal entered Friday ranked 1-2 in the majors in ERA. Skubal dropped to fourth overall, and second in the AL behind the Houston Astros' Hunter Brown, after taking his first loss since April 2 on Friday night against the Seattle Mariners.
The AL choices to start the All-Star Game narrowed considerably in recent days. Brown, scheduled to start Sunday, was replaced by the Minnesota Twins' Joe Ryan. The New York Yankees' Max Fried, Texas Rangers' Jacob deGrom and Boston Red Sox's Garrett Crochet, ranked third, fourth and fifth in the league in ERA, all were scheduled to start Saturday, and also were dropped from the AL roster after requesting not to pitch in the game.
Skenes' biggest competition in the NL, the Philadelphia Phillies' Zack Wheeler, also bowed out, saying he wanted to prepare for the second half. Wheeler, 35, is a native of the Atlanta area who might have been a sentimental choice to start the game. He leads the NL in opponents' OPS and is second to Skenes in ERA.
Prior to Skenes, the youngest pitcher to start back-to-back All-Star Games was the Philadelphia Phillies' Robin Roberts, who started in 1950 and '51 at ages 23 and 24, according to STATS Perform. And while Skenes' record is only 4-8, that is largely a product of his average run support, which is the third worst in the majors.
Skubal has struck out 153 and walked only 16, a ratio that leads the majors by a wide margin. He led the AL in ERA at the break last season, but was bypassed for the All-Star start in favor of Corbin Burnes, who was then with the Baltimore Orioles. This season, the Tigers own the best record in the majors at 59-36, and Skubal will be one of their six All-Star representatives.
Skenes and Skubal might not pitch more than an inning Tuesday night, but the imprint they are leaving on the game is indelible. While the first two letters of their last names are the same, the paths they took to the majors could not have been more different.
Advertisement
Skenes went undrafted out of high school after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled his senior season at El Toro (Calif.) H.S. He began his college career at the Air Force Academy, where he was both a catcher and pitcher. In 2022 won the John Olerud Award as the best two-way player in the country.
Prior to his junior season, Skenes transferred to LSU, where he emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the sport's history. After leading LSU to the College World Series title, where he was named Most Outstanding Player, the Pirates selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2023.
Skubal, who also was undrafted out of high school, took a far longer path to stardom. A native of Kingman, Ariz., the only NCAA Division I school to offer him a scholarship was Seattle University. After he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the 29th round of the 2017 draft. Skubal declined to sign, returned to Seattle and in 2018 became the Tigers' ninth-round selection — and 255th overall.
By 2020, he was in the majors. In 2022, he appeared on the verge of a breakout when he underwent another surgery, this time to repair a flexor tendon. His rehabilitation lasted 11 months. But Skubal excelled after his return in July 2023, and in 2024 became one of the best pitchers in the game, winning the American League Cy Young Award.
Skubal and Skenes became acquainted in January at the Baseball Writers Association of America dinner in New York, where Skenes also was honored as the NL Rookie of the Year. They both are members of the players' leadership arm, the Major League Baseball Players Association's executive subcommittee. They pitched at opposite ends of a doubleheader on May 29, 2024, but never actually competed in the same game.
That will change Tuesday night, in baseball's showcase event of the summer, when two of the best pitchers in the sport take center stage.
(Top photo of Paul Skenes: Alika Jenner / Getty Images)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
23 minutes ago
- New York Times
How to watch the 2025 NBA Summer League playoffs, a conclusion to the Vegas action
'It feels like summer,' says one of our culture's reigning multi-hyphenates. It might sound like he's celebrating sunset flings and thick July heat, but the trained ear hears that it's really an NBA Summer League ballad about the greatness of Nique Clifford and Kon Knueppel. Do we have proof to back that up? Nope. Do we have the semifinal and final schedule for this weekend's Las Vegas action? Yes, yes we do. ESPN broadcasts can also be streamed on ESPN+. All four semifinalists went 4-0 in their Vegas slates. There were actually six undefeated teams in play, but two of them (Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks) missed the cut based on tiebreakers. Saturday's first semifinal pits the Sacramento Kings against the Toronto Raptors. The Raps have a league-best plus-15.8 differential in their four wins. Lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles has averaged 12.7 points on impressive 60.7 percent shooting, though the 3-ball isn't quite falling yet. The South Carolina wing is getting love for his defensive versatility and instincts in pick-and-roll. The Kings counter with a balanced attack; seven players scored in double figures during Wednesday's win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Clifford, the No. 24 pick in last month's draft, led the group in points (19), rebounds (7) and assists (9). The second game pairs the incumbent NBA champions with arguably the league's most hapless franchise. Knueppel, the Duke standout, is now tasked with reviving the in-state Charlotte Hornets. The fourth overall selection has put together a three-game line of 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals. He looked controlled and confident in Monday's outing, a win over the Cooper Flagg-less Dallas Mavericks: The Oklahoma City Thunder are wholly unconcerned with the Vegas proceedings after seizing the Larry O'Brien Trophy and minting a budding dynasty. Still, no one in the building will complain about inspired scrapping from their B-team prospects. Brooks Barnhizer got the Thunder to 4-0 with a 19-point, nine-board showing against the New Orleans Pelicans last time out. Better still, Nikola Topić, the 2024 No. 12 pick, has been throwing absolute dimes running summer league sets. He is averaging 7.3 assists in under 28 minutes per game, making his way back from the ACL tear that washed out his rookie season. Saturday's two winners face off in Sunday's title game. It's certainly not too serious, but soak it in, as it's our last NBA run for a few months. Most win shares for Raptors and Kings: DeMar DeRozan (54 TOR, 7.1 SAC) Most win shares for Hornets and Thunder: Jeremy Lamb (15.7 CHA, 5.1 OKC) Ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Kon Knueppel: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
New York Times
23 minutes ago
- New York Times
NASCAR Cup Series at Dover odds, predictions for In-Season Challenge Round 4
NASCAR heads to the coastal plains of Dover, Delaware, for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 and the fourth (and final elimination) round of the inaugural In-Season Challenge. Our NASCAR experts, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi, answer our questions ahead of the race, including who on the bubble is in the most trouble and whether a long shot has a chance to win. Also, Bianchi went four-for-four last week with his challenge picks, and Gluck seems a little salty — he makes good points, though. Take it away, guys! Time to revisit and recalibrate your Challenge picks. Jordan, did you go four for four!?? What are we predicting for this final elimination into the championship? Jeff: Hey, it's easy for Jordan to go four-for-four when he gets a re-do every week after his bracket blew up in Round 1, though I'll give him credit for taking a flier on picking Ty Dillon (even though it was just for fun). But I'll stick with my pick from the start — Tyler Reddick — to advance to the finals over Ty Gibbs. And although Dillon has been a fun story, he's been helped massively by the poor performance of his competitors: 31st, 37th and 19th. That has allowed Dillon to advance to the semifinals with finishes of eighth, 20th and 17th — although he certainly deserves credit for knocking Alex Bowman out of the way on the last corner at Sonoma to advance. But even though John Hunter Nemechek's run has also been unspectacular (he advanced by finishing 28th at Sonoma), his team will likely bring more speed at Dover, so I'm picking him over Dillon this week. Advertisement Jordan: Sure, there's a minor detail about how and why I went four-for-four last week, but all that matters is what the scoreboard says. And don't be upset that I believed in the tournament Cinderella enough to hitch my wagon to the Ty Dillon Express, which, against all odds, just keeps chugging along every week. Yes, he will face a challenge at Dover, but that makes this run all the more inspiring. For Reddick vs. Gibbs, a case can be made for either, but Reddick gets the nod as he's shown greater speed overall this season than Gibbs. You ranked the upset potential of the remaining regular-season races, and for Dover, you said, 'No way. There hasn't been an upset at Dover in the last 20 years.' Oof. Should we be disappointed by that? Could anyone get their first win of the season here? Should those trying to 'point' their way in be relieved or worried at this lack of upsets? Jeff: There are plenty of opportunities throughout the season for upset winners; I just don't think this is one of them. If you look at the list of Dover winners since 2005, the entire list is current or future Hall of Famers except for Bowman, but Bowman won during a four-victory season, so it's not like it was any sort of fluke. You're not likely to see an out-of-nowhere driver win this race on strategy or even find themselves at the front during the race, so one of the usual suspects should win this week. And as you mentioned in your question, that is a big relief for the bubble drivers because it's unlikely that someone wins from outside the top 16 and jumps them to move the cut line. Jordan: Dover is just not a track with a history of producing upset winners. This is a place that favors the best drivers and the top teams, and rare is it that circumstances allow someone beyond the 'usual suspects' to break through. But that doesn't mean there is little chance of seeing a first-time winner Sunday. The two obvious names to watch are Gibbs and Carson Hocevar, who have come close this season to getting that first-career win. Mid-season panic meter: Who on the bubble is in the hottest water right now? What's the strategy going forward? Jeff: It's hard to argue that Bubba Wallace isn't in the toughest spot of the bubble drivers because his team has playoff expectations, and he is currently in jeopardy of not doing so after his great start to the season evaporated. Wallace is only three points to the good on the cutoff line right now, but that line could move anytime with a new winner. And then he's got work to do to catch Bowman and Chris Buescher. In that case, the pressure would shift to Bowman — a Hendrick Motorsports driver can't miss the playoffs. In the meantime, the answer is Wallace, who was seventh in the point standings after the first 10 races but has only scored the 23rd-most points in the last 10. Wallace had only three top-20 finishes during that time, underlining how miserable this stretch has been. Advertisement Jordan: Wallace cannot afford to miss the playoffs for a fourth time in five years, especially while his teammate Reddick has done so in three consecutive seasons. It would help Wallace's cause if he could shake some of the bad luck that's plagued him recently, often negating what otherwise would have likely been a solid result. But Wallace also must shoulder some of the blame; in Chicago, he allowed his frustration to get the better of him in the closing laps when racing Bowman, which cost him probably 20 points. The good news for Wallace is that the upcoming schedule includes a bevy of tracks — Dover, Indianapolis, Richmond, Watkins Glen and Daytona — where he should do well. If he performs like he's capable of, he should score enough points to move him off the bubble and guard against someone below him jumping ahead. Who do you pick to win at Dover? Jeff: I've got a bit of an unusual pick for you this week: Chase Briscoe, who has never finished in the top 10 at Dover. Here's my theory: Briscoe is driving Martin Truex Jr.'s old car and has his old team, and Truex has the best average finish at Dover in the Next Gen car (5.3). It's not like Briscoe doesn't know how to get around the place; he led 107 laps and won the 2020 Xfinity Series race there before he graduated to the Cup Series (and had four straight top-10s in Xfinity races at Dover). If the No. 19 team can bring similar speed to what we'd see with Truex, as it did for Briscoe's runner-up finish at Sonoma last week, the driver might surprise some people at +2000. Jordan: Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team have seemed to up their performance in recent weeks — a stretch that includes a win at Atlanta that snapped Elliott's lengthy winless drought. And Dover represents a great chance for him to get his second win of the season. He is a two-time winner here, and his 10 top-five finishes are the most he has at any track. If Elliott can deliver Sunday, it will further solidify that the No. 9 team is every bit a title contender in the same class as William Byron, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney. Who is a long shot you like? Jeff: Last year, this race became a big talking point because of how well the drivers could defend with their rear-view cameras. They simply take away the line of the car behind them, and it makes it nearly impossible to pass when they get it right. There will be a new tire this year at Dover, so maybe that changes things, but all signs for now seem to point toward the favorites. That makes it hard to find a decent 'long shot' this week. But although he has the same odds as my winner pick and isn't an upset at all, Bowman at +2000 shouldn't be overlooked. Dover is a track he loves and where he brings confidence, as evidenced by five top-five finishes in his last seven starts there. It's actually the NASCAR track where he has the most top-five finishes in his career. So, this is bending the definition of a 'long shot' quite a bit, but I don't think any true upsets are realistic. Jordan: As noted above, finding a viable longshot is not easy at Dover. So let's go with Ty Gibbs (+2800), who has finished decently here in two-career starts (10th and 13th) and whose team, Joe Gibbs Racing, is a powerhouse that has won two of the three races here, in the Next Gen Era. In a week where it feels like only a select group of drivers can win, you can do a whole lot worse than picking Gibbs. Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Chase Briscoe: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images)
New York Times
23 minutes ago
- New York Times
UFC 318 odds, predictions: Holloway vs. Poirier 3, last bout for ‘The Diamond'
Another PPV is on the schedule this weekend, and it's a special one, as Dustin Poirier will take on Max Holloway for the third time in what is Poirier's final fight in the UFC. I will break down this main event and two others below on a heavy 14-fight card. If there are any additional matchups you'd like to chat about, please let me know in the comment section below. Advertisement Let's dive in! The UFC will bid farewell to legend and future Hall-of-Famer Poirier on Saturday, as he will step into the Octagon one last time for an epic trilogy matchup against familiar foe Holloway for the BMF belt. Holloway may hold the belt, but Poirier has raised his hand both times when he and Holloway have squared up inside the cage. The pair first fought in 2012, which was Holloway's UFC debut, and Poirier was able to land an early takedown and submit Holloway in the first round. But that fight occurred over 10 years ago and isn't relevant. What's far more pertinent is the pair's most recent matchup, which took place six years ago in 2019. In that instance, Holloway, the reigning champion of the featherweight division, stepped up and challenged Poirier for the interim lightweight belt. It was a competitive scrap, but Poirier won it unanimously. I thought Poirier separated from Holloway in that victory by landing the harder shots. Holloway fought competitively, as many rounds were closely contested, and Holloway still landed 181 significant strikes to Poirier's 178, though Poirier won the head strike battle 153 to 141. Holloway is one of the best, if not the best, volume strikers in the sport's history. Poirier kept up with him to reach a career high in significant strikes landed in a lightweight bout, and as the better-framed lightweight fighter, he was more physical. And as far as the trilogy fight — yes, this is a retirement bout for Poirier, which is usually a bearish signal, but it's not as if he's washed. He's still churning along in the lightweight division. Holloway is once again coming up a weight class after challenging for the featherweight belt, and the general dynamic remains the same. I expect we'll again see a very competitive scrap with similar dynamics. What throws a wrench into the analysis is that, unlike last time, both fighters are a bit worn down. Obviously, Poirier is leaving the sport, but Holloway is coming off a knockout loss, the first knockout loss of his career. Advertisement Poirier has also suffered a recent knockout, though less recently than Holloway. Gaethje (who Holloway obliterated a year later) knocked Poirier out with a head kick in 2023. But both fighters can be hurt and also still dish out damage. From a projection standpoint, the most likely outcome is a tight fight that goes the distance. If forced to choose, I lean toward Holloway because I have more faith in his offensive production. He landed 181 sig. strikes the first time the two met, but we've also seen Holloway land 230, 290 and 445 significant strikes over the course of five rounds. Poirier is less likely to reach those ceilings and will rely more on power. Plus, most fighters do not win in their retirement fights. I'm not excited to bet on this fight for reasons explained above, but I think the most likely outcome is a Holloway decision, which you can find at +165 on some books. Poirier is +275 to win by decision, which I also don't mind. Let's hope these two come together and put on a show one last time, for Poirier's sake. Thanks for the memories! This matchup also offers little betting value, though Marvin Vettori could be much more competitive than the odds have it. I think the Vettori line has value. However, you can find him at +180 elsewhere, which I'd prefer. Brendan Allen is a very strong submission grappler with a black belt in jiu-jitsu, and he excels in matchups where he has a grappling advantage on paper. He also lands 1.53 takedowns per 15 minutes and attempts 1.3 subs per fight. But in striking-based matchups, I have much less faith in him. He's improved over the years, training with Henri Hooft, but he's not a volume machine or very defensively sound. Allen lands 3.55 sig. strikes per minute while absorbing 3.67 per minute with a 45 percent defensive rate, which is bad. Advertisement Now he takes on Marvin Vettori, a former title challenger who's looked poor over the past several years. After sitting on the shelf for two years, Vettori has lost three of his past four fights and recently dropped a five-round decision against Roman Dolidze. But Vettori is still a competitive fighter. He's well-rounded and very tough. His boxing is fine, and he lands 4.54 sig. strikes per minute, while absorbing 4.37 per minute with a 56 percent defensive rate. He can also grapple well, holding a brown belt in jiu-jitsu and landing 1.51 takedowns per 15 minutes with a 69 percent defensive rate. What's most notable from my point of view is that Vettori doesn't get dominated on the mat. He can give up a takedown, but his takedown defense is fine, and he's never been submitted. Allen has more grappling upside of the two on paper, but he isn't a phenomenal wrestler and doesn't even average two takedowns per fight. If he can immediately secure the back, he will have a shot to control and threaten Vettori. Otherwise, Vettori probably defends outright or scrambles back to his feet on the few occasions Allen takes him down. If this is a boxing fight, I'm expecting it to be highly competitive. Allen might be the fresher party of the two, but Vettori is a bit more defensively sound and durable and has landed strikes at a higher rate historically. I think he has a real path to victory, though that path is narrow. Ultimately, I won't be shocked if Allen raises his hand. But I think the value lies in Vettori at +180, and I think Vettori, by decision, holds value at +235 or better. I may be overexposed to Jimmy Crute this week with some questionable fighting talents on the slate. Not only has Crute failed to win each of his past five fights, but he also announced both his retirement and un-retirement during that four-year span. Plus, he's sitting at the cheap price of -300. Oof. But despite the scary aspects of Crute's game, of which there are many, I think he's performed well, at times, during his recent five-fight skid. And to be fair, only three of those five fights were losses, with the other two resulting in a draw. Crute has only fought once since his return to the sport, and in that bout against Rodolfo Bellato, Crute hurt Bellato badly early and nearly secured the stoppage. Advertisement Now he'll take on Marcin Prachnio, who was brutally knocked out in his first three UFC matchups. That was seven years ago, though, and since then, Prachnio has successfully earned four wins in seven matchups, which is a far more impressive run than I ever thought possible. I was surprised he was able to hold a roster spot early on. He's a black belt in karate and relies on an outside kicking game, where he lands 5.57 sig. strikes per minute, while absorbing 3.24 per minute with a 54 percent defensive rate. If you allow Prachnio to strike at distance for 15 minutes, he can rack up kicks and win on volume. He even defeated Khalil Rountree Jr. by decision in 2021, outlanding him 102 to 41. He also landed 101 sig. strikes against Devin Clark in 2024. However, Prachnio has lost two of his last three fights on the mat, where I think he's looked awful. He has now been taken down 10 times in his previous three losses, and he defends takedowns at a poor 53 percent. What is worse is that he doesn't have skills from the bottom. He's been submitted with an arm-triangle choke in back-to-back losses, and in his most recent defeat, he tapped out of position. Crute is levels ahead of Prachnio on the floor, and it would be a horrible game plan to avoid pursuing takedowns. Crute lands 3.86 takedowns per 15 minutes, holding a black belt in jiu-jitsu, and we've seen him have ground-based success on a few occasions. I worry a little about Crute's stamina if it goes the distance, but he should be able to land takedowns, and I think it's likely he finishes the fight on the mat. However, he can still make mistakes. He has fought with poor game plans before, been knocked out, and his cardio is questionable, leaving the door open for Prachnio to kick his way to a decision or find a variance-related knockout. I'm putting my faith behind Crute; this is his best matchup in the past five years. I think he's fairly safe to win, given his well-rounded skill set and clear advantage on the ground, and I don't mind taking chances on his finishing props at -130 to win ITD, or +170 to win by submission. (Photo of Holloway vs. Poirier 2: Logan Riely / Getty Images)
