Paul Skenes bobblehead draws 'unprecedented' demand in Pittsburgh
Fans began lining up outside PNC Park more than five hours before Saturday's game between Pittsburgh and Cleveland in hopes of landing a bobblehead featuring the reigning National League Rookie of the Year.
The gates didn't open until 90 minutes before the first pitch, but that didn't deter fans. Lines stretched out in all directions from the park early Saturday afternoon, including one that snaked over the Roberto Clemente Bridge behind center field, which links Pittsburgh's North Shore to the city's downtown.
Demand grew so great that the club — which has endured its share of public-relations issues during the season's opening weeks — pledged to make sure everyone in the expected sellout crowd who did not receive one will have an opportunity to obtain one.
"Any fan who scanned into today's game after the first 20,000 bobbleheads were given away will be sent an electronic voucher," the Pirates announced. Team president Travis Williams called interest in the bobblehead "unprecedented."
The promotion also happened to align with Skenes' fourth start of the season. The top pick in the 2023 amateur draft entered Saturday 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA, an MLB-best 1.39 FIP, 0.74 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. However, the Pirates are 8-13, last in the National League Central.
Skenes, the starting pitcher for the National League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, posted a 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 23 starts last season.
This is hardly the first time an item featuring Skenes has drawn monumental attention. A one-of-a-kind rookie card featuring Skenes sold for more than $1 million at auction last month after accumulating 64 bids, making it the highest-selling Rookie Debut Patch card of all time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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