If you blinked, you may have missed one of baseball's most exciting young arms Saturday afternoon.
Paul Skeens took to the rubber at Yankee Stadium for the first time, but he didn't stay on the mound for long.
His minutes were worth the hype, as he struck out three Yankees in a shortened game and retired all six batters he faced, capping off a memorable rookie year.
“I'm really happy to finish the season and it's great to be able to do it here and it's great to be able to do it against this lineup. I hope we can continue like this and that's what we're doing. ,” the leading right-hander said after the Pirates defeated the Yankees, 9-4, in the Bronx. “I love New York. The stadium is definitely one of my favorite baseball destinations and a place to cross off my bucket list. It's cool to get out there and take the field. I'll definitely check it out tomorrow. Continue.”
As his famous girlfriend, LSU gymnast and social media star Libby Dunn, watched from the stands, Skens was as advertised as a 160 mph pitcher with a mid-90s sinker and a quality offspeed pitch. He showed off his fastball.
He froze Juan Soto with heaters dotting the inside corner and forced Aaron Judge to swing a sweeper.
He finished his first season in the major leagues in as many years with a modest 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings pitched.
He became the first rookie pitcher to start at least 23 games and have an ERA under 2.00 since Scott Perry in 1918.
“He's pretty dynamic,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “If you look at how easy he is, I don't think he's giving it his all.” “His ability to step on the four-seam and sinker and change his speed is so easy. He does it so easily that he's well suited to use it really well.”
Skens, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft and a National League Rookie of the Year candidate, became the fifth rookie to start in the All-Star Game in July.
He finished the year on a high note, striking out 32 and allowing two earned runs in 24 innings in September.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton spoke with Skeens ahead of his remaining two starts in an effort to break up his plan to limit his innings.
He pitched five innings last Sunday against the Reds.
He ended up pitching 160 innings this year, counting his time in the minor leagues before being called up on May 11th.
This should allow him to handle a somewhat normal workload next season.
“You just take the ball and throw it,” he said. “We have a lot of things to build up for next year, but we just have to go out there and try to win.”
When asked about his aspirations for 2025, Skenes answered, “Win a lot of baseball games.''
That seems likely when he's on the mound.
