SI

Paul Skenes Had Comical Reason for Why He Started Rocking a Mustache

The Pirates star's signature look has a great backstory.

Josh Wilson

Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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Today, we know rookie phenom pitcher Paul Skenes by his great pitching and clear visual cues: Huge frame, great mustache.

When he got his start as a pitcher, transitioning from behind the plate to on the bump at Air Force Academy, he had no such facial hair. Of course, most facial hair is prohibited at the academy without a waiver. While neatly-trimmed mustaches are permitted, most opt for a clean-shaven look, including Skenes during his time in Colorado.

Upon transferring to LSU later in his collegiate career, the mustache popped up. The reason is humorous.

It happened because he ran out of razors during a road trip and decided to keep it rather than figuring out toiletries on the road.

"I decided, screw it, I'm keeping the mustache," he said in an ESPN profile by Ryan Hockensmith. His Air Force head coach Mike Kazlausky tried to convince his girlfriend, LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, to get him to shave it off at the All-Star Game this year.

"Your mustache is a stupid-a-- mustache," Kazlausky told Skenes when he saw him in Arlington.

Many baseball fans would disagree.

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Josh Wilson

JOSH WILSON

Josh Wilson is the news director of the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in 2024, he worked for FanSided in a variety of roles, most recently as senior managing editor of the brand’s flagship site. He has also served as a general manager of Sportscasting, the sports arm of a start-up sports media company, where he oversaw the site’s editorial and business strategy. Wilson has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from SUNY Cortland and a master’s in accountancy from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois. He loves a good nonfiction book and enjoys learning and practicing Polish. Wilson lives in Chicago but was raised in upstate New York. He spent most of his life in the Northeast and briefly lived in Poland, where he ate an unhealthy amount of pastries for six months.

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