Pirates, Yankees Matchup Features Two Rookie of Year Favorites
Rarely do two of the frontrunners for an award in opposing leagues square off. That'll be the case when the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees square off at Yankee Stadium. Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes and Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil will square off in a battle of the favorites to win Rookie of the Year.
The last time two pitchers each one Rookie of the Year in the American and National League was in 1981. Yankees starting pitcher Dave Righetti earned the accolade after going 8-4 with a 2.05 ERA, while Dodgers starting pitcher Fernando Valenzuela was the NL ROTY after he went 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA over 25 starts and 192.1 innings pitched. Valenzuela also won the Cy Young Award and started the All-Star game for the NL.
Skenes, 22 has been nothing short of historic in his rookie season, going 11-3 with a 1.99 ERA and has struck out 167 batters over 131 innings pitched. Skenes' 167 strikeouts are the most in Pirates history for a rookie. He's also the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA under 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts and the first since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 in their first 22 appearances.
Gil, 26, hasn't had the historic season Skenes has had but is still enjoying a stellar first full season in the big leagues. The hard-throwing right-hander is 15-6 with a 3.27 ERA through 28 starts and has struck out 166 batters over 146 innings pitched. He's also been impressive in September, going 3-0 with a 2.53 ERA.
With the Yankees vying for the No. 1 seed in the American League, they still have something to play for. While Pittsburgh has been out of the playoff race essentially since its 10-game losing streak in August, but the opportunity to spoil New York's bid for home-field advantage is more than enough motivation for the Pirates to throw their best punch.
And with one rookie who has already cemented himself as the team's ace and another who is preparing for the first postseason appearance of his career, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better individual matchup than Skenes vs. Gil on Saturday afternoon.
The Yankees (93-67) and Pirates (75-85) square off at 1:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.
