Paul Skenes is off to a historic start to his major league career.
Skenes and the Pirates defeated the Mets, 14-2, on Friday night at PNC Park. The California native pitched seven innings, striking out eight while allowing two earned runs and four hits.
He struck out eight batters, He set a record According to the Pirates, he is the most pitchers in major league history with seven or more strikeouts in their first 10 games nine times.
Skeen is 5-0 with a 2.12 ERA this season and has allowed just 14 earned runs in his first 10 MLB starts.
In the series opener against the Mets, the 6-foot-6 Skenes led the Pirates to a 42-45 record and within 4.0 games of the third and final wild card spot in the National League.
The Mets, who fell to 42-44 after a lopsided loss in Pittsburgh, have a slight lead.
The Pirates also dominated at the plate, hitting seven home runs against the Mets, and it was so evident in the stadium that the Pirates claim the home runs were the source of the fireworks.
“We hit seven home runs tonight, just the fifth time in Pirates history that we’ve done that. So many home runs we couldn’t get any fireworks out of the way,” the Pirates wrote on the left field scoreboard.
The National League Rookie of the Year candidate is also best known as the boyfriend of former Louisiana State University gymnast and social media star Olivia Dunn.
The two met at Louisiana State University, where Skenes attended after transferring from the Air Force in 2023.
Dunn made waves this week when he attended Fanatics founder Michael Rubin’s annual White Party in the Hamptons.
