Paul Skenes punctuated his final start before the All-Star break in as dominant fashion as possible Thursday, throwing seven no-hit innings before getting pulled following 99 pitches. And it is added to what has already been a tremendous first half by the rookie sensation, who will head into the 2024 MLB All-Star Game with remarkable statistics.
Skenes’ Best Start of the Season
Thursday was Skenes’ most impressive outing of the year as he pitched seven innings without a hit or a run while also tying a career high in strikeouts with 11. Plucking Jake Bauers and, on the very next at-bat, walking Garrett Mitchell were the only smudges on his record to that point. With a no-hitter going and being under 100 pitches, the decision by Shelton to pull Skenes brought controversy around the fan base and analysts.
Rob Friedman, @PitchingNinja on Twitter, raved about Skenes’ arsenal, saying he threw an excellent backdoor slider and was dominating with all of his pitches.
Inspiring Stats This Season
The 22-year-old has made 11 starts this season and is 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. He has fanned 89 against 12 walks in 66.1 innings, with his 12.1 strikeouts per nine leading the NL. Quite incredibly, Skenes has not departed a game in which the Pirates are trailing.
Skenes joins legendary Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers in MLB history to have Multiple starts in a single season with six-plus innings, no hits and 11-plus strikeouts. Ryan did it in 1973 with the Angels.
Fast Rise to Stardom
Having been selected as the No. 1 pick in the draft, Skenes has fast-tracked a name for himself in the majors, levitating with ease to easily being one of the league’s best pitchers with just 11 major league starts and 12 in the minor leagues.
With this kind of performance, there should be no doubt that Skenes is the clear choice to be the National League’s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game. His electrifying presence on the mound makes him the perfect candidate to start off in the Midsummer Classic.
Rob Friedman puts a stamp on the eventful talent of Skenes in a tweet, which spotted him throwing 100 mph at the knees, further putting a stamp on the rookie’s extraordinary skills.
Skenes has dominated this half, setting himself up to be pretty compelling throughout the All-Star break, with fans eager for his next outing.
