Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes made MLB history recently after being named to the National League All-Star team. Skenes followed up that historic announcement with a thoroughly dominant performance on Thursday afternoon.
Facing the Milwaukee Brewers, Skenes was lights out. The former LSU standout threw seven innings of shutout baseball. He struck out 11 Brewer batters, issued just one walk, and, to boot, allowed no hits. After 99 pitches, the Pirates pulled Skenes from the mound, but his work spoke for itself.
This is not the first time Skenes has been this dominant either. He matched his career high in strikeouts with his 11 on Thursday afternoon. Skenes only recently debuted too.
Paul Skenes has tied his career high with 11 strikeouts in a single game. 👏 pic.twitter.com/8ZwxkGHaft
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 11, 2024
Skenes has been turning heads this season in a major way. He went through a quick development in the Minor Leagues before Pittsburgh called him up this season. Already, he’s made a huge impact on the team and the game. He didn’t need much playing time to be considered for the All-Star Game, and the NL named him to the team. He’s got a lot of excitement around him, and it’s easy to see why.
Skenes should only continue to dominate, which could be frightening for opposing teams.
About Chris Novak
Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022