Fastball

Paul Skenes Set to Make Multiple Rounds of Awesome History with Opening Day Start

Skenes, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year winner, will get the ball when the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Miami Marlins on March 27.

Brady Farkas

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) during spring training workouts at Pirate City on Feb. 12.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) during spring training workouts at Pirate City on Feb. 12. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
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On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that ace pitcher Paul Skenes will get the ball on Opening Day. It's been a whirlwind year for the former No. 1 pick in the draft, as Skenes made his debut early last season, then started the All-Star Game for the National League, and then ended the year as the National League Rookie of the Year.

And according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Skenes is set to etch his name into multiple rounds of baseball history.

At 22 years & 302 days old on March 27, Paul Skenes will be:

- the Pirates’ youngest Opening Day starting pitcher since at least 1900

- the youngest Opening Day SP MLB-wide since Jose Fernandez in 2014 (21y, 243d)

In addition to winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award, Skenes was also a finalist for the National League Cy Young. He was recently given the best odds in the NL to win the Cy Young this year.

He went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, striking out out 170 batters in just 133.0 innings and he looks to be the cornerstone of the Pirates organization moving forward. He'll pair with fellow flamethrower Jared Jones and veteran Mitch Keller at the top of the team's rotation.

Pittsburgh will open up the season on March 27 at the Miami Marlins and we know that Sandy Alcantara will get the ball for Miami.

Both teams are coming off last-place finishes in their respective divisions. The Pirates haven't made the playoffs since 2015.

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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. 

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