Paul Skenes Had Stars Frantically Trying to Decode His Greatness After All-Star Start

Madison Williams | Jul 17, 2024

Jul 16, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; National League pitcher Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates (30) pitches against the American League in the first inning during the 2024 MLB All-Star game at Globe Life Field. / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie pitcher Paul Skenes faced some of MLB's biggest stars during Tuesday night's All-Star Game, and he seemed to have quite the influence on them.

The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie earned the National League start and pitched just the first inning. Skenes faced Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge—four of the biggest hitters in MLB right now.

Kwan popped out for the inning's first out. Then Henderson grounded out. Soto was the luckiest hitter up in the first inning as Skenes walked him. Then, finally, Judge grounded out to end the inning.

The four players then rushed to the dugout to compare notes on Skenes, ESPN's Buster Olney reported. It sounds like the biggest names are already attempting to decipher Skenes's pitches, and he's only been playing in MLB for a few months.

After the top of the second inning in the All-Star Game, the four players who faced Paul Skenes -- Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge -- gathered in the dugout and compared notes on what they saw in his pitches. The movement, the velocity, etc.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 17, 2024

In 11 games pitched during the regular season, Skenes has posted a 1.90 ERA. He's struck out 89 batters and only has 14 earned runs against him.