Latest news with #Skenes'
Time of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Paul Skenes pitches like a Cy Young contender while Pirates waste another gem
The Pittsburgh Pirates rolled to an easy win against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday with a commanding lead. The win was powered by National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now His excellent pitching carried the game, helping to quell the Arizona Diamondback offense in a win for the Pirates. Skenes' dominance on the rubber has placed him among baseball's elite young arms on the year. Paul Skenes shines on mound with a historic performance Paul Skenes' performance on Wednesday was nothing less than phenomenal. The young ace threw 6.2 innings of shutout ball, allowing just four hits and no walks while fanning 7 hitters. His control and accuracy were on display as he completely shut down the Arizona lineup. This trip was another gem in what has otherwise been a breakout campaign for Skenes. The 22-year-old continues to build his case as one of the league's premier young pitchers, and what he did on the road easily lived up to the bill. What makes Skenes' dominance that much more impressive is that he can also hold hits in check. He has since completed 35 career starts without surrendering more than six hits in a given contest, which is an MLB record. His ERA currently sits at an incredible 2.15 and his career ERA at a jaw-dropping 2.03. Skenes' 4-5 record this year, however, lies due to a complete absence of run support from his offense. But his ability to control the mound has been evident, and his potential is unquestioned. Also Read: A historic season for Paul Skenes Skenes' early career is already full of impressive markers. He has already become one of the greatest pitchers ever at his age. In fact, among pitchers who started at least 25 games as a 22-year-old, only Babe Ruth in 1917 and Sam McDowell in the 1960s have posted better ERAs than Skenes' 2.08. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The fact that Skenes is performing at this level in just his second season is a sign of his incredible talent and work ethic. With his ability to throw effectively to major league hitters, Skenes is only just starting to reach his full potential. Although Skenes' consistent pitching hasn't led to more wins than losses so far to the Pirates' name this season, it has provided some very valuable arm power. He's been the silver lining for what has otherwise been a miserable season in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are 21-36 overall, last in the National League Central, but they have pitchers like Skenes, who are making the team's future bright. Ahead, the Pirates will seek to follow up on this win when they face the San Diego Padres. The Pirates are to start Mitch Keller in the second game of the series Friday night. The Pirates will look to build on this as they try to climb out of the bottom half of the standings in the division.
USA Today
17-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
When does former LSU baseball star Paul Skenes pitch again?
When does former LSU baseball star Paul Skenes pitch again? Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and former LSU baseball star Paul Skenes looks to get back into the win column during a start over the weekend on the road. The right-hander takes the mound against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday at 1:30 PM ET in the final of a three-game series. It will be Skenes' ninth start of 2025 and first career start against the Phillies. He'll face the second-best team in the National League East, headlined by sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. In his last appearance, Skenes gave up one run on six hits and three walks to the New York Mets. He finished with six strikeouts in each of his last two games. Skenes heads to Philadelphia in search of his first win in May, and he'll face off against left-hander Cristopher Sánchez. Skenes' 2.63 ERA ranks seventh in the National League and his 1.01 WHIP ranks fifth. Following his Rookie of the Year campaign, the former LSU hurler continues to cement himself as one of the best young talents in all of baseball
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB's Major Paul Skenes Announcement is Turning Heads
After falling to Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Team USA is aiming to assemble a roster that can avenge the loss when the 2026 tournament arrives. There is still some time before the roster needs to be finalized, as of Tuesday, only New York Yankees slugger and two-time MVP Aaron Judge had announced his participation. Advertisement However, the team already got a significant boost in talent on the bump, as it was revealed that 22-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates pitching phenom, Paul Skenes, would be joining the squad. Despite this being just his second MLB season, Skenes already has an All-Star selection, in addition to being the NL Rookie of the Year in 2024, on his resume. With pitchers being scarce for this tournament due to concerns about injury, fans on social media were thrilled by Skenes' decision. "team USA basically hittin the 'we're not losing' button already… skenes gonna throw 102 just to warm up and ask for the championship trophy in the 3rd inning," wrote one fan. Advertisement "LETS GOO TEAM USA NUMBER 1," exclaimed a second. "Let's gooooo," added another. "CAPTAIN AMERICA," coined another. "Oh we're winning this next WBC. The dream team is being built," predicted one user. "Team USA is getting the Avengers together," joked another. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul LeClaire As a rookie last season, Skenes accumulated an 11-3 record, and posted a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts. His success led to him starting the All-Star Game for the National League, and he also came in third in NL Cy Young Award voting. Although this will be his first WBC, it will not be Skenes' first time representing the stars and stripes. Prior to transferring to LSU in college, Skenes was a two-way star at the Air Force Academy. Advertisement For Skenes, the WBC gives him something to look for as he has posted a 3-4 record with a 2.63 ERA in 54 2/3 innings for a Pirates team that has the third-worst record (14-28) in baseball. His joining the team may also convince fellow star pitchers to follow, which could be huge for Team USA, who last won the tournament in 2017. Related: Rafael Devers Red Sox Drama Gets Interesting Mookie Betts Twist
CBS News
19-04-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Pirates to give away Paul Skenes bobblehead to every fan in attendance at Saturday's game against Guardians
The Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday announced that they would give away a special Paul Skenes-themed bobblehead to every fan in attendance at Saturday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Originally billed as one of the team's promotional giveaway games, the first 20,000 fans in attendance were to receive the Skenes collectible that celebrated Skenes' 2024 N.L. Rookie of the Year campaign. The bobblehead was crafted in the unique style of a baseball card. Video showed fans lined up well beyond the PNC Park gates to grab a bobblehead. Soon after video circulated on social media, the Pirates made the announcement that any fan whose ticket was scanned into the game after the first 20,000 bobbleheads were given away would be sent an electronic voucher to receive one themselves. Pirates president Travis Williams also issued a brief statement on the extended giveaway. "We all saw the lines and unprecedented response for this unique giveaway. Bob (Nutting) called me and we discussed how we can ensure every fan coming to today's game received one," Williams said via the statement. "I give a lot of credit to our internal team for the quick response to make that happen. More details to come." The Pirates and Guardians were set to clash in game two of a three-game series at PNC Park, which concludes on Sunday afternoon.
Fox Sports
02-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
'An elite pitcher:' Paul Skenes shuts down Rays for first win of 2025
TAMPA, Fla. — Paul Skenes' 21st and final out Wednesday afternoon was his most celebrated, coming back from a 3-0 count to strike out Rays outfielder Jose Caballero to end the seventh inning and finish a strong day on the mound. "Falling behind 3-0 on the last two hitters of the game is not very good," the Pirates' ace said after a 4-2 win over Tampa Bay at Steinbrenner Field. "It's not as hard as people think it is to throw strikes. I just did it three pitches too late." Skenes (1-0) pitched seven innings for the first time since July 23 of last year, a span of 12 starts, and gave a struggling Pirates team what it needed to end a four-game losing streak. "Paul was really good and went right after them, was really consistent," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. "Last outing, he was almost just getting his feet underneath him, and today it looked more like what we saw out of him last year: execution with the fastball and being able to go back to it at times when he had to, I thought was really impressive." Wednesday was the 25th career start for Skenes, 23, last year's National League Rookie of the Year. He finished with a 1.96 ERA last season, and two starts into 2025, he has a 1.46 ERA. Wednesday was just the second time in his career he's thrown at least seven innings without giving up an earned run, and he said he takes pride in being able to stay longer on the mound. "It's a lot better than going five and a third," he said, referencing his first start, in an Opening Day loss to the Marlins. The Rays came in 4-1 and tied for the best record in the American League, while the Pirates were 1-5 and closing out a long week in sunny Florida — the first-pitch temperature was 89 degrees Wednesday. Skenes rarely got into trouble — the Rays' only run against him in the sixth inning was aided by a throwing error from shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and scored on an RBI groundout. Skenes' ability to work efficiently was clear against the Rays, as the former No. 1 overall draft pick didn't walk a batter and gave up only three hits, with 72 of his 102 pitches coming as strikes. "He's going to be an elite pitcher," Shelton said. "It's just efficiency. At times, he gets out of the zone, and we have to make sure he gets back in the zone. He's one of those guys that has elite stuff, so when it's in the zone, it's not going to get hit. We just have to make sure he stays in the zone." As they return home for their first games in Pittsburgh, the bullpen is still a concern -- closer David Bednar was optioned to the minors after two blown saves. Colin Holderman gave up a run in the eighth, and Dennis Santana pitched a scoreless ninth, though Shelton said there are no defined roles yet. But with each start, Skenes' success is validated, and his stardom reaches closer to celebrity status -- on Wednesday, he was featured online in a photo shoot from GQ Magazine, with shots of him with his girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, and their dog Roux. That brought grief from teammates, of course, though he said that's not an area of expertise. "I didn't know what GQ was until the offer came," he said, noting that the session came on a rare snow day in Baton Rouge. Told that Dunne, a gymnast and model with 5.3 million Instagram followers, looked better in the photo shoot than he did, he agreed. "That's what she does," he said. Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Paul Skenes Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball recommended Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
