Paul Skenes Explains How He Learned His Baffling ‘Splinker’ Pitch by Accident

Skenes discovered his splinker by accident.

Skenes is 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA in his rookie season for the Pirates. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Paul Skenes found his most devastating pitch by accident.

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star righty revealed to MLB Central that his "splinker" was actually discovered accidentally.

In college, Skenes was working on developing his sinker in college, but it never really became the pitch he wanted it to be. Then one day in spring training he was messing around with it while playing catch and it came off his index finger instead of his middle finger. He noticed it felt and moved differently.

Paul Skenes talks about his famous 'splinker' on MLB Central this morning.

"It was fine in college, like whatever...I was playing catch one day, and it basically accidentally came off my index finger and moved how it moves now." pic.twitter.com/r6IuHwOnl7

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 11, 2024

It's pretty incredible that a key pitch in one of Major League Baseball's most devastating arsenals was developed by accident. Despite all the technology analyzing spin rates, pitch shapes and biometrics, Skenes found out because it came off his finger differently on one throw.

The 22-year-old has lived up to his billing as the top pitcher from the 2023 MLB draft and one of the best pitching prospects of all-time. So far in his rookie season, he is 10-2 with a 2.10 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in 120 innings.

Yes, he has a 100-plus mph fastball and a devastating slider, but his 95 mph "splinker" might be his best pitch. And it all happened by accident.

---