WATCH: Paul Skenes Finds Out He's Pirates Opening Day Starter
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is one of the top pitchers in the sport and will serve as the Opening Day starter.
Skenes and the Pirates begin their season on the road, facing the Miami Marlins on March 27, with first pitch set for 4:10 p.m.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Skenes talk prior about some of the prospects who competed in the Spring Breakout game. This included Bubba Chandler, who started the game, as well as Hunter Barco, and how fast his slider is.
Shelton then mentioned how Skenes pitched in the Spring Breakout game last year and that now he'll serve as the opening day starter for the Pirates. Skenes and Shelton shared a hug and their excitement for the new season.
The moment Paul Skenes found out he was starting on Opening Day. pic.twitter.com/xLJUjPKpgY
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 15, 2025
Skenes starred at LSU in 2023 after transferring over from Air Force. He had a 13-2 record in 19 starts with a 1.69 ERA in 122 2/3 innings while notching 209 strikeouts to just 20 walks, leading the program to a national title over Florida 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 posting 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a K/9 rate of 11.50 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. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game 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 NL CY Young Award voting.
This will serve as Skenes' first full season at the MLB level, where he'll hope to show his talents all year long.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.