Fastball

Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie Paul Skenes Continues to Break Records, Make History

Paul Skenes racked up nine strikeouts in the Pittsburgh Pirates' win over the Miami Marlins on Monday, lowering his ERA and carving out a few more spots in MLB's history books.

Sam Connon

Sep 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at PNC Park.
Sep 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at PNC Park. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
In this story:

The first out that Paul Skenes recorded against the Miami Marlins on Monday came via a strikeout, making him the sole owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates' single-season rookie record for punchouts.

That was just the start of another dominant outing for the 22-year-old ace, though, as he made plenty more history before the night was through.

Skenes went 6.0 innings deep, allowing six hits, one walk and one earned run. He finished the evening with nine strikeouts, earning the win as the Pirates emerged with a 3-2 victory.

Since making his big league debut on May 11, Skenes is 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA, 0.992 WHIP, 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings and a 5.2 WAR across 20 starts.

Skenes' 151 strikeouts are the fifth-most by any pitcher through their first 20 career appearances, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs. Kerry Wood, Hideo Nomo, Dwight Gooden and Mark Prior make up the rest of the top five.

Langs also noted that Skenes joined Matt Harvey and Stephen Strasburg as the only pitchers in MLB history to toss 135-plus strikeouts with a sub-1.000 WHIP in the first 20 appearances of their career.

Skenes now boasts the second-lowest ERA by any pitcher through their first 20 career starts. Art Mahaffrey sill owns the record by a fraction of a point, while Skenes just eked out second place over Vida Blue.

Among the other pitchers Skenes bested are Bill Stafford, Mark Fidrych, Fernando Valenzuela, Jim Nash and Howie Polet. None of the other pitchers with a sub-2.45 ERA in their first 20 career starts made their debut after 1981, besides Skenes.

Skenes is the leading contender to win NL Rookie of the Year, which is warranted considering he has the third-highest WAR of any National League pitcher this season. The righty was already named the starting pitcher for the NL in the All-Star Game earlier this summer, so appreciation for his production clearly goes beyond the stat sheet.

With less than three weeks left in the regular season, Skenes likely has two or three starts left to further cement his resume. The Pirates, meanwhile, are set to continue their series with the Marlins at 6:40 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

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.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.

Published
Sam Connon

SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

Home/History