Fastball

Paul Skenes and Luis Gil Make Baseball History Not Seen in 43 Years on Monday Night

The pair of flamethrowing pitchers each captured the Rookie of the Year Awards in their respective leagues on Monday.

Brady Farkas

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) looks on from the dugout against the Kansas City Royals during the eighth inning at PNC Park on Sept 14.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) looks on from the dugout against the Kansas City Royals during the eighth inning at PNC Park on Sept 14. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
In this story:

On Monday night, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (National League) and New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil (American League) captured the Rookie of the Year Awards.

It was a great accomplishment for both players, who overcame a different set of challenges in order to earn the award.

The duo also made some unique history not seen in 43 years, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Paul Skenes and Luis Gil are the first pair of starting pitchers to win Rookie of the Year in the same season since 1981 Dave Righetti and Fernando Valenzuela

Given that Valenzuela just passed away, there's something poetic about having him included on this list.

Skenes beat out Jackson Merrill (San Diego Padres) and Jackson Chourio (Milwaukee Brewers) for his award, becoming the fifth former No. 1 draft pick to win Rookie of the Year honors.

Skenes finished his rookie season at 11-3 with that 1.96 ERA. He struck out 170 batters in just 133.0 innings and looked every bit the part of an ace moving into 2025. Skenes made his major league debut in early May after just a handful of minor league starts and instantly made his presence felt. With Skenes and Jared Jones, the Pirates and their fans finally look to have some optimism moving forward.

Armed with an upper-90s fastball and his power "splinker," Skenes also earned the start for the National League in the All-Star Game. He worked a scoreless first inning in his appearance there, getting out Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson and Aaron Judge. He walked Juan Soto.

Gil debuted in 2021, making six starts for the Yankees, but then the health problems set in. He made just one appearance in 2022 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He also missed the entire 2023 season, meaning he had barely pitched in three years heading into this season.

All he did for a comeback was go 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA. He struck out 171 batters in 151.2 innings, flashing an upper-90s fastball and darting changeup.

Pairing with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, Gil helped the Yankees advance to the World Series this season. They lost to the Dodgers in five games.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

Published |Modified
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

Home/History