CINCINNATI -- Paul Skenes doesn't seem to be slowing down as the conclusion of his historic rookie season draws near. Skenes, a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate who has quickly established himself as one of the top young arms in the game, continues to produce extraordinary results, as he once again did in the Pirates' 2-0 win over the Reds Sunday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
Skenes allowed two hits and struck out nine through five scoreless innings, a sixth scoreless performance -- and second this month -- that lowered his already minuscule ERA from 2.07 to a remarkable 1.99 through 22 major-league starts this season. He boasts the lowest ERA among major-league starters since making his debut on May 11 and the consistency he's shown since has allowed him to accomplish certain things that few, if any, have before him:
• Skenes is the first pitcher in the modern era to post 150-plus strikeouts and an ERA under 2.00 in his first 22 career games.
• Skenes is just the second player since 1913 to post an ERA of less than 2.00 through 22 career appearances (all starts), joining Steve Rogers from 1973-74 who posted a 1.95 ERA through his first 22 starts.
• Now up to 167 strikeouts in 131 innings, Skenes has posted the fifth-most strikeouts by a pitcher in their first 22 career appearances since 1901. The only players with more were Hideo Nomo in 1995 (194), Kerry Wood in 1998 (193), Mark Prior in 2002-03 (172) and Dwight Gooden in 1984 (171).
• Skenes has allowed six hits or fewer in each of his 22 career starts. Among pitchers who have debuted since 1893 -- excluding openers -- the 22-start streak matches the fourth-longest stretch in major-league history to start a career, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The only pitchers will longer stretches were Shohei Ohtani (31 starts from 2018-21), Bill Burbach (24 in 1969), Tony Cingrani (24 from 2013-14) and Alek Manoah (22 from 2021-22).
"He’s doing things no one has ever done," Derek Shelton said. "If our expectation was he was going to do something no one has ever done, then we’re putting very high expectations on him. Now I’m really glad he’s doing it and pleased. I think that’s why you see this guy should be Rookie of the Year. He’s doing things that are historic.”
Considering the historic fashion in which Skenes has performed, coupled with the manner in which he's gone about his business in his first year as a professional pitcher, it's hard not to consider him as the front runner for the National League Rookie of the Year award, which is voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. San Diego's Jackson Merrill, Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio and Chicago's Shota Imanaga have all had memorable rookie campaigns in their own right, but none of them have reached heights comparable to Skenes.
"I respect what the two Jacksons are doing for sure and they’re both really good players, but I think when we start talking about guys that are doing things that are historic, that’s why it puts him in that category for me," Shelton said. "That’s why I feel that he deserves to be a winner. Did we expect this? I don’t think anybody expects this because we’re seeing things that have never been done.”
The manner in which Skenes has accomplished historic feats in year No. 1 is what impresses Shelton the most. He's adapted and made necessary adjustments to be able to succeed at the big-league level and has crafted an impressive pitch repertoire to help guide his success. While his four-seam fastball and splinker have served as his two most reliable pitches, Skenes has the ability to throw multiple weapons at opposing hitters. His changeup, for example, is his least-utilized pitch, one he turns to just 5% of the time . On this particular day, Skenes threw eight of them, seven of which generated whiffs. He finished off five of his strikeouts with the changeup.
"He’s special. We all know that, but the thing that makes me proud is he continues to evolve," Shelton said. "Like the changeup today was elite and you don’t see a guy in their rookie year that is able to throw multiple weapons at you and continue to get better. I think that’s what I’m proud of.”
The changeup is another pitch that makes Skenes different, too, at least in the eyes of Joey Bart, who was behind the plate for a Skenes start for the second time this season. Bart said the pitch reminds him of one Kevin Gausman threw during their time together with the Giants.
"He would kind of tunnel that splitter to the changeup, and it's pretty devastating," Bart said. "So, he's got 100 mph and he's got plenty of offerings to get him in the zone and put guys away. It's one of those things where you try it early, see what it's looking like. It's working, we rock with it. And that's kind of what we did today."
Skenes has also benefitted from better execution of individual pitches. While his stuff is certainly elite, Skenes understands that his success isn't possible without being able to consistently execute. On Sunday, he executed with regularity, especially early in counts. An encouraging sight for the 22 year old.
"Definitely good to see that. At the end of the day, it comes down to execution," Skenes said. "Had good stuff today. I recognized that pretty early. Doesn't matter if you have good stuff if you can't execute, and that's kind of been a little bit of a battle the entire year. Just got to keep going."
Whether he separates himself from the other first-year players who have thrived this season and wins the Rookie of the Year award or not, Skenes' first season in a Pirates uniform will be memorable in more ways than one. He's etched his name into the record books multiple times, put in the work on and off the field to consistently put the team in positions to win games and clearly made a good impression on his teammates in the process. Sure sounds like a guy worthy of being considered the top rookie in the National League.
"You always wonder like, 'Hey, when's he going to give up runs, you know what I mean? 'Cause one day it's going to happen.'" Bart said. "It's just part of the game, and he just continues to come out and put zeroes on the board, or maybe a few here or there. But, always giving the team a chance to win, and that's all you can ask for from a starting pitcher."
