Pirates' Paul Skenes Shares Love for Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates found a generational talent with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Now, Paul Skenes is a member of the city and has everyone in black and gold excited about the future in front of their new pitcher.
Skenes is falling for the city as well. In a recent interview during the team's matchup with the Chicago White Sox, Skenes shares his newfound love for the city of Pittsburgh since coming here after the draft.
"I love it. It's a unique city. It's cool. Being able to travel and see other cities and kind of compare it is also cool because there's really no place in this country that I've found that's like Pittsburgh," Skenes said. "Fans are great. City is great. It's just really fun to show up to work everyday."
Paul Skenes loves Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/tu1DC72Kmz
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) July 14, 2024
The city of Pittsburgh is hoping Skenes stay for a long time, looking at the All-Star pitcher as the building block for the Pirates' future. With Skenes, Bryan Reynolds, O'Neil Cruz and Ke'Bryan Hayes, the team is hoping their young core can begin to find success moving forward.
Skene's impact is being felt in the league as well. The 22-year-old has nearly thrown two no-hitters, with his most recent one coming against the Milwuakee Brewers when he threw seven no-hit innings before the team decided to pull him. The first attempt came in just his second start when he went six no-hit innings.
Skenes is set to make history this week as he becomes the first rookie to start for the National League team in an All-Star game. He's 6-0 this season with a 1.90 ERA and 89 strikeouts through 11 starts.
The Pirates are 48-48 heading into the All-Star break and are going to lean on Skene's arm as they try to push for a wildcard spot in the second half of the season.
NOAH STRACKBEIN