Pirates' Paul Skenes Uses Full Arsenal to Stymie Dodgers
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Before the season, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes spoke openly about his desire to add to his pitch mix. A month into the season, it's apparent that Skenes is following through on diversifying his arsenal. His unique pitch combination was on full display last night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, as he struck out nine hitters on six different pitch types.
Skenes' fastball, dialed up to 100 MPH last night, sent four Dodgers hitters back to the dugout. He got one strikeout each on the following Statcast-identified pitches: sinker, sweeper, curveball, changeup, splinker.
The first strikeout of Skenes' night came in the bottom of the first, as Freddie Freeman swung through a 99.4 MPH fastball right down the middle of the strike zone to end the inning.
Tommy Edman flailed at another fastball, this one well outside the zone, for Skenes' second punchout of the night. It came in a relatively important spot, as the batter before had singled to open the second inning.
After a groundout, Skenes got out of the frame with another strikeout -- a 97 MPH sinker that may have been one of the nastiest pitches he's thrown in his career. The pitch, identified as a sinker, had horizontal movement more reminiscent of a two-seam fastball or cutter, which Skenes had been working on this past off-season. The ball came in on the left-handed Conforto's hands, with late action diving towards the middle of the plate. This may be a case of pitch misidentification by Statcast, or his sinker may just be moving that much. Regardless, Skenes had his third strikeout of the game.
An Overlay of all 9 of Paul Skenes' Strikeouts vs. the Dodgers.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2025
4 Fastballs
1 Sinker
1 Sweeper
1 Curveball
1 Changeup
1 Splinker pic.twitter.com/uq0G4Emv1q
His fourth strikeout came against Edman again, this time in the fourth inning. The 85 MPH sweeper was nicely blocked by catcher Henry Davis, and Edman never stood a chance against the elite off-speed offering.
Skenes' dominance was truly on display in the fifth inning. He began the frame with another strikeout of Conforto. After confusing him with his 97 MPH "sinker" in their previous matchup, Skenes fired a similar pitch at 98 MPH that Conforto swung at for strike three. This was identified as a fastball, and did appear to be a bit more straightened out. But the late action still made Conforto look foolish in a favorable matchup for a left-handed hitter like himself.
Max Muncy, another left-handed hitter, swung through a fastball above the zone for Skenes' second straight strikeout. The climax of Skenes' outstanding performance would come during the next batter.
Three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate in a matchup of two of baseball's biggest stars. Ohtani fought valiantly, forcing a full count before ultimately succumbing to a Skenes curveball that blew up the internet. Ohtani looked merely mortal against the sweeping curveball that started in the middle of the plate and ended up at Ohtani's toes. Skenes had his viral moment in Los Angeles -- and his seventh strikeout.
PAUL SKENES 😤
— MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2025
He strikes out Shohei Ohtani with this ridiculous curveball 😳 pic.twitter.com/6q6DW7jKmn
Edman struck out for the third time for the last out in the sixth inning. Skenes threw a 89 MPH changeup in the dirt, and Edman looked helpless as he flailed at a pitch in the dirt.
Many thought Skenes' night was over after finishing the sixth inning with 103 pitches. Apparently his teammates did too. More than a few players embraced and shook his hand in the dugout, actions that typically indicate a starting pitcher will not return for the next inning. However, manager Derek Shelton had different plans.
Skenes would not make his skipper regret the decision. He struck out Will Smith on five pitches, the final pitch of his night a 94 MPH splitter that came in on the right-handed batter's hands. The pitch tallied Skenes' ninth strikeout, and concluded Skenes' dominant night.
Paul Skenes shut down the Dodger today with 9 K over 6.1 scoreless innings
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 26, 2025
Ya, he's still the best pitcher in baseball pic.twitter.com/JKCRmpkOxk
The Pirates ace's final line in Los Angeles was 6.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB and the aforementioned nine strikeouts. He threw a MLB career-high 108 pitches, 69 of them for strikes.
It was another mind-boggling performance by a pitcher who is off to one of the best starts to a career that the game of baseball has seen. It is particularly impressive that Skenes is able to rewrite the history books for a sport that is old as it is. Baseball fans are truly being treated to a generational talent, as evidenced last night at Dodger Stadium.
Ethan Merrill is from Grand Rapids, MI, and brings with him a diverse background of experiences. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, he worked with the Arizona Diamondbacks for three seasons before settling in the Pittsburgh area in 2020. With a passion for sports and a growing connection to his community, Ethan brings a fresh perspective to covering the Pittsburgh Pirates.