Pirates’ Paul Skenes Named Opening Day Starter
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates head into 2025 with one of the best pitchers in baseball in Paul Skenes, and they know it too.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced through a video posted on the team's social media sites that he is making Skenes their opening day starter.
Skenes will face the Miami Marlins on the road on March 27 with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m.
Skenes starred at LSU in 2023, after transferring from Air Force. He had a 13-2 record in 19 starts, 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings pitched, gave up just 23 earned runs and seven earned runs, while making 209 strikeouts to just 20 walks, leading the program to a national title that season.
He would enter the 2023 MLB Draft, where the Pirates took him with the No. 1 overall pick. He also signed with the franchise on a $9.2 million signing bonus, the highest ever given to a player at the time.
Skenes dominated in the minor leagues and soon made it up to the majors on May 11 of the 2024 season.
He started 23 games, had a 1.96 ERA in 133.0 innings pitched, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while making 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a 11.50 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.95.
He was the first member of the Pirates to start for the National League in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975, 49 years ago. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers doing so in 1995, en route to winning NL Rookie of the Year.
Skenes won NL Rookie of the Year, made the All-MLB First Team and finished third in the NL CY Young Award voting.
Since the Pirates didn't call him up until May 11 last year, this will serve as Skenes' first full season at the MLB level, where he'll hope to show his talents all season long.
