Skenes strikes out two, dominates in All-Star Game start
When Paul Skenes started the All-Star Game in 2024, he was a true rookie, soaking in all he could from the spectacle of the event and from sharing the dugout with the game's elite. But, he also proved he belonged to be right there with them.
Tonight, he did the same. Skenes started on the mound for the National League and retired the trio of Gleyber Torres, Riley Greene and Aaron Judge in order for a perfect inning. That includes strikeouts of Torres and Greene, both swinging and missing at 100 mph fastballs:
The National League lineup rewarded Skenes with Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr. both hitting singles off Tarik Skubal, then Ketel Marte driving them in with a two-run double down the right field line.
All that got in the way of three strikeouts was Judge getting a piece of a fastball inside, tapping out harmlessly for a groundout. While Skenes was definitely trying to strike out the side, he at least has retired Judge both times he's faced him in the All-Star Game.
"That's what the All-Star Game is for," Skenes said. "Every hitter is trying to hit a home run, and every pitcher is trying to strike everybody out. Just trying to get them out. I didn't want to walk anybody.
As memorable as his first All-Star Game was, in which he stole the show, it wasn't perfect. He walked Juan Soto with two outs last year. So, Skenes exorcized some demons from 2024.
"That pissed me off last year," Skenes said. "I don't know. It's a learning experience."
Like last year, Skenes still sought out some of the veterans in the clubhouse. Last year, it was Chris Sale. This year, he zeroed in on Clayton Kershaw.
Kershaw, of course, is one of the all-time great pitchers, and arguably the best of this century. And it just so happens that Skenes and Kershaw had lockers right next to each other.
"I kept my distance a little bit," Skenes said. "I didn't get any time to talk to him yesterday. I talked to him a little bit today. He's such a class act. It's just so impressive, obviously what he's done in the game. The human that he is. We were in the waiting room before the red carpet today. He had all of his kids, watching him be a dad, too. It was just cool. It was a cool experience for me."
Skenes is arguably the game's best pitcher. You don't have to do much digging to make a case for it. Every time he steps on the mound, it seems he's making history or putting himself in elite company, just as he did in his last start when he secured his 300th career strikeout in his 43rd career start, becoming the first Pirates pitcher and one of only 17 MLB pitchers all-time to accomplish that feat. And when Dave Roberts named him the starter for the National League, he became the first pitcher and one of five major league players ever to start in the All-Star Game in each of his first two big-league seasons, along with Joe DiMaggio (seven, 1936-42), Ichiro Suzuki (four, 2001-04), Rod Carew (three, 1967-69) and Frank Robinson (two, 1956-57).
Tonight, Skenes became the first starting pitcher in the Statcast era to throw four pitches at 100-plus mph in an All-Star Game.
While the Pirates have yet to give Skenes the big stage in the postseason, he's now made the Midsummer Classic his time to shine brightest.
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THE ASYLUM
Skenes strikes out two, dominates in All-Star Game start
When Paul Skenes started the All-Star Game in 2024, he was a true rookie, soaking in all he could from the spectacle of the event and from sharing the dugout with the game's elite. But, he also proved he belonged to be right there with them.
Tonight, he did the same. Skenes started on the mound for the National League and retired the trio of Gleyber Torres, Riley Greene and Aaron Judge in order for a perfect inning. That includes strikeouts of Torres and Greene, both swinging and missing at 100 mph fastballs:
The National League lineup rewarded Skenes with Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr. both hitting singles off Tarik Skubal, then Ketel Marte driving them in with a two-run double down the right field line.
All that got in the way of three strikeouts was Judge getting a piece of a fastball inside, tapping out harmlessly for a groundout. While Skenes was definitely trying to strike out the side, he at least has retired Judge both times he's faced him in the All-Star Game.
"That's what the All-Star Game is for," Skenes said. "Every hitter is trying to hit a home run, and every pitcher is trying to strike everybody out. Just trying to get them out. I didn't want to walk anybody.
As memorable as his first All-Star Game was, in which he stole the show, it wasn't perfect. He walked Juan Soto with two outs last year. So, Skenes exorcized some demons from 2024.
"That pissed me off last year," Skenes said. "I don't know. It's a learning experience."
Like last year, Skenes still sought out some of the veterans in the clubhouse. Last year, it was Chris Sale. This year, he zeroed in on Clayton Kershaw.
Kershaw, of course, is one of the all-time great pitchers, and arguably the best of this century. And it just so happens that Skenes and Kershaw had lockers right next to each other.
"I kept my distance a little bit," Skenes said. "I didn't get any time to talk to him yesterday. I talked to him a little bit today. He's such a class act. It's just so impressive, obviously what he's done in the game. The human that he is. We were in the waiting room before the red carpet today. He had all of his kids, watching him be a dad, too. It was just cool. It was a cool experience for me."
Skenes is arguably the game's best pitcher. You don't have to do much digging to make a case for it. Every time he steps on the mound, it seems he's making history or putting himself in elite company, just as he did in his last start when he secured his 300th career strikeout in his 43rd career start, becoming the first Pirates pitcher and one of only 17 MLB pitchers all-time to accomplish that feat. And when Dave Roberts named him the starter for the National League, he became the first pitcher and one of five major league players ever to start in the All-Star Game in each of his first two big-league seasons, along with Joe DiMaggio (seven, 1936-42), Ichiro Suzuki (four, 2001-04), Rod Carew (three, 1967-69) and Frank Robinson (two, 1956-57).
Tonight, Skenes became the first starting pitcher in the Statcast era to throw four pitches at 100-plus mph in an All-Star Game.
While the Pirates have yet to give Skenes the big stage in the postseason, he's now made the Midsummer Classic his time to shine brightest.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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