Shohei Ohtani Set to Match Up Against Paul Skenes in Meeting All Baseball Fans Want to See

Fresh off a 4-3 loss against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, ace starter Paul Skenes will pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Dodgers on Friday night.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at PNC Park on April 19. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Fresh off a 4-3 loss on Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels, the Pittsburgh Pirates will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.

First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. ET as Paul Skenes (PIT) pitches against Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD).

While Skenes (2-2, 2.87 ERA) against Yamamoto (3-1, 0.93) is an excellent matchup on its own, we'll also get to see Skenes square off against Shohei Ohtani in a highly-anticipated matchup.

Skenes, the National League Rookie of the Year in 2024, against Ohtani, the MVP in 2024, is arguably the most exciting pitcher-batter matchup in the sport.

Ohtani has faced Skenes six times before, going 2-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs. The 30-year-old is hitting .272 this season with six homers, eight RBIs and five stolen bases. He had a historic season last year, hitting 54 homers and driving in 130. He also became the first player in history to go 50/50, stealing 59 bases.

He has 150 steals for his career, which is now in its eighth season.

Skenes, 22, is armed with a triple-digit fastball and a devastating "splinker." He's already struck out 30 batters in 31.1 innings. He went 11-3 last year with a 1.96 ERA, finishing third in the National League Cy Young race. He started the All-Star Game for the National League.

The two teams will play again on Saturday and Sunday, ending the series. Pittsburgh will have an off-day on Monday for travel while the Dodgers will host the Miami Marlins.

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