The unamused police are pursuing Paul Skenes.
Some in baseball are opposed to the possibility that the Pirates’ rookie phenom — and boyfriend of Livi Dunn — will be the National League starter in the All-Star Game on July 16.
“I truly believe there will be a lot of people tuning in to see Paul Skenes pitch, preferably at the start of the game,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan said Sunday after Skenes earned an All-Star berth despite making his debut on May 11. “The idea of Paul Skenes starting over the Rangers’ Suarez and Chris Sale had a lot of people in the industry reacting with, ‘Come on, we’ve got to win it.'”
“I think Paul Skenes captured the attention of people who want to watch baseball. The All-Star Game is a celebration of baseball and showing how great it can be. Paul Skenes is great.”
Baseball is constantly faced with the problem of old and new ideas clashing, so it’s no wonder there would be backlash against the promotion of the former LSU star.
On the one hand, it makes sense that Suarez of the Phillies or Sale of the Braves should start because they’ve thrown more innings and have the veteran status, and a start would make more sense for them since Skenes seems on his way to being an All-Star mainstay.
But as Passan pointed out, Skenes is the talk of baseball.
No disrespect to Suarez or Sale, but people aren’t necessarily going to want to watch these two left-handed pitchers face off against a powerhouse in the American League.
Meanwhile, Skenes is garnering attention with his spectacular repertoire.
His pitches are simply phenomenal, with his fastball reaching a top speed of 102.6 mph and his sinker reaching a top speed of 97.2 mph. According to BrooksBaseball.net.
In his most recent start, a 14-2 win over the Mets, he dominated a lineup that has dominated most starters recently, striking out eight and allowing just two runs in seven innings.
Skenes has posted a 5-0 record with a 2.12 ERA in 10 starts for a mediocre Pirates team this season, striking out 78 batters in 59 1/3 innings.
If Skenes is eligible, his ERA will be second in the National League.
It will ultimately be up to Diamondbacks pitcher Torey Lovullo and his staff to decide who will start in the All-Star Game, but there’s a good chance Skenes will pitch early in the game while also starting one of the veterans.
