Aaron Judge Gave High Praise to Pirates’ Paul Skenes After All-Star Nod

Greatness respects greatness.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has taken the MLB by storm this year, and he’s been turning the heads of several big-leaguers in the process.

Skenes, 22, will become the fifth rookie pitcher in MLB history to start an All-Star Game and the first to do so in nearly 30 years. The Pirates star has gone 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA through his first 11 starts in the big leagues, and his dominant rookie season has captured the attention of New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, to name one marquee All-Star.

“I’ve gotten a chance to watch a couple of his games the past couple of weeks since he got called up, and it’s special stuff, man,” Judge said on Monday at All-Star media day. “Electric stuff. You can talk about the velocity on his pitches and what he does, but the guy’s a pitcher, man, he can work all three, four, five of his pitches, throw it in any part of the zone, any count, he’s a complete pitcher.”

Aaron Judge on Paul Skenes pic.twitter.com/nriXmcSwCE

— Andrew Destin (@AndrewDestin1) July 15, 2024

“I think we’re all excited to see him on the mound, see him do his thing, especially in his first All-Star game,” continued Judge. “He’s going to be one of the top pitchers in this game for a long time, so it’s going to be exciting to get a chance to face him in his first [All-Star game]. I know he’s going to have multiple All-Star game starts for years to come, so it’s going to be pretty cool.”

When asked for his approach to facing Skenes, Judge laughed and said, “Don’t blink.”

Though Judge is rightfully excited about the prospect of facing Skenes on Tuesday, the Pirates rookie won’t be on the mound for long. National League manager Torey Lovullo revealed to reporters Skenes will likely pitch just one inning in the All-Star Game, with little chance of Skenes coming back for a second frame if he blows through a quick first.