Paul Skenes Makes History in Pirates Win vs. Reds
With seemingly every good outing that Paul Skenes has, he further etches himself in baseball's history books.
It was no different on Sunday after he pitched five shutout innings, allowed just two hits and struck out nine batters in their 2-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark. With the scoreless outing, Skenes became the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20 and strike out over 150 batters through their first 21 games. He is also the second pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA under 2.00 through 22 appearances.
With Skenes' dominance and the list of accolades he has racked up, Pirates manager Derek Shelton believes it should cement the Pirates ace as the National League's Rookie of the Year over San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio.
“I think that’s why you see this guy should be Rookie of the Year,” Shelton said. “He’s doing things that are historic.”
Paul Skenes has a 1.99 ERA this season.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 22, 2024
He’s only the second player to post an ERA of less than 2.00 through 22 career appearances since 1913. pic.twitter.com/j6NXrj0kmN
With the win, Skenes improved to 11-3 with a 1.99 ERA and has struck out 167 batters over 131 innings pitched in 22 starts. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick has been especially dominant in September, going 3-1 with a 0.82 ERA across four starts and he has struck out 31 batters over his 22 innings pitched.
With the NL Rookie of the Year race still up for grabs, Skenes closing the season on a hot streak could prove to be the difference. He's also in line to make one more start this season, which would come against the New York Yankees in the final series of the season. If Skenes could deliver one more dominant outing against a Yankees lineup that includes two of the best hitters in the game, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, that could be the final stamp the Pirates right-hander needs to cement himself as Rookie of the Year.
NATHANIEL MARRERO