Paul Skenes Praises Pirates 'Perfect' Plan
Paul Skenes may have begun his rookie season later than most, including him, would have hoped, but the Pittsburgh Pirates ace is pleased with the end result.
With the season winding down, Skenes spoke to the Associated Press about his first year in the big leagues and lauded the Pirates' approach with him.
“I don’t know if there can be a perfect plan, but it was just about perfectly put together,” Skenes told the AP.
Skenes has performed beyond the lofty expectations that were placed upon him after Pittsburgh took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The hard-throwing 6-foot-6 right-hander is 11-3 with a 1.99 ERA through 22 starts and has struck out 167 batters through 131 innings pitched.
The Pirates rookie has accomplished things no other pitcher has in their career, let alone one in their first season in the big leagues. He shattered the Pirates' previous rookie record of 143 strikeouts in a season and was the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts through 21 starts. Skenes is also the second player in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.00.
The last time a player accomplished that feat was in 1913.
The Pirates have been careful about managing Skenes' innings given where he is in his career and due to the team falling out of playoff contention heading into the final month of the season. Those restrictions likely won't exist next season, though, and being able to receive a full season's worth of work is something Skenes is more than ready for in 2025.
“That’s why I’m here: I’m here to pitch,” Skenes said “So I want to pitch as much as I can. If you shorten the rest period, you can pitch more as the season goes on. I’m looking forward to that. That’s not something that’s going to be a complete 180 next year from how it is this year, but there are going to be a bit fewer restrictions on me.”
Skenes is set to make one more start on Saturday against the New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh (74-85) will have Jared Jones on the mound when it begins its three-game series against the Yankees (92-66) on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET.
NATHANIEL MARRERO