Paul Skenes Sets Impressive Record in 10th Career Start

The hot start has not cooled off for the Pirates young phenom.
Jul 5, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 5, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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All Paul Skenes has done since being called up to the big leagues is post a 2.12 ERA, strike out 78 batters and win all of his starts (Friday's result pending).

Oh, and break some records along the way.

Skenes has logged seven or more strikeouts in nine of his 10 starts, which is a new MLB record for the most such games within a player's first 10 games, according to the Pirates.

Skenes's first start of his career was also his worst, when he gave up three earned runs in four innings. Since, he's allowed more than two earned runs just one other time, and has a streak of allowing two or fewer earned runs in five straight games, Friday's contest included.

His eight strikeouts on Friday were on the following pitches:

K type

Pitch type

MPH

Batter

Swinging

Fastball

99.4

J.D. Martinez

Swinging

Splitter

95.7

Francisco Alvarez

Swinging

Slider

87.5

Harrison Bader

Swinging

Slider

86.0

Harrison Bader

Swinging

Fastball

99.1

Brandon Nimmo

Swinging

Fastball

98.9

J.D. Martinez

Called Strike

Fastball

99.4

Pete Alonso

Swinging

Slider

87.1

Harrison Bader

At first glance, it's a tough look for players on this list with mulitple appearances, J.D. Martinez and Harrison Bader, who got out on virtually the same pitch twice and thrice, respectively. But it says more about how good Skenes has been, and the quality of his stuff.

Skenes's strikeout rate is in the 96th percentile, and his whiff rate in the 83rd percentile. While his delayed start to the year might make it difficult for him to win the Rookie of the Year award, his case is only getting stronger with each outing.


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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.