Pirates rookie right-hander Paul Skenes didn’t seem too happy about the opportunity to make history Thursday after it was taken from him in order to protect his arm.
Skenes is Can be seen in the dugout It was good that he kept his cool after Pirates manager Derek Shelton told him he wouldn’t pitch in the eighth inning, but it’s hard to blame the star pitcher for being disappointed.
“I definitely wanted to finish it off,” Skenes said after the game, coming off a crushing no-hitter in which he threw 99 pitches and struck out 11 in the seventh inning. “Every six days, every five days, whatever pace I’m pitching at right now, I know that side of it.”
Shortly after leaving the game, Skenes watched as the Pirates’ shaky relief pitchers broke up the no-hitter in the eighth inning, but Aroldis Chapman still closed out the game in the ninth to give the Pirates a 1-0 win over the Brewers.
The 22-year-old Skenes added that he wasn’t thinking about a no-hitter until the sixth inning, saying he “struggled” through the first few innings before settling down.
The Pirates’ star right-hander maintains he has never pitched a no-hitter.
“Even Little League,” he said.
Pittsburgh played a dangerous game, handing not only a no-hitter to its struggling relief pitchers, but also a game that was down by one run.
The Pirates have the fourth-most failed saves in the major leagues (17) due to poor performances from Chapman and regular closer David Bednar.
Still, Shelton maintained that Skenes’ substitution had nothing to do with innings limits or pitch counts.
“He was tired,” Shelton explained. “It had nothing to do with pitch counts. Everybody talks about pitch counts, but it was about where he was. It was just a matter of trusting your eyes and trusting him.”
The Pirates’ hope is that Skenes will be available for the duration of the MLB playoffs after the All-Star break.
The 45-48 team also boasts a formidable rotation when healthy, with Jared Jones and Mitch Keller, and is 2.5 games out of the final wild-card spot.
