Paul Skenes Ready To Pitch In Front Of Pirates Fans
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Not all was lost for Paul Skenes after the Pittsburgh Pirates game against the Philadelphia Phillies was postponed on Monday due to inclement weather.
Skenes pitched on Monday as he continues to progress toward the start of the 2025 season. However, there was still one notable omission with fans not in attendance. With all of the work the reigning 2024 National League Rookie of the Year has put in, he's more than ready to have Pirates fans in attendance the next time he toes the slab.
"Gotta get some fans in the stands now," Skenes said. "Get some adrenaline pumping because I'm tired of throwing with nobody in the stands. It makes a difference. But [I] felt good. Execution was good, so [I'm] in a good spot."
Paul Skenes my lord pic.twitter.com/kTcfVfrNgY
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) February 17, 2025
Along with not having fans in the stands, Skenes has yet to face any batters who aren't his teammates. With Skenes adding two pitches to his repertoire, he's ready to see how opposing hitters fare against them.
"It's going to be good, especially with the new stuff," Skenes said. "Just throwing it to hitters and seeing how they react more than anything. Building volume [is] great, throwing with fans on the stands [is] great, but just seeing how my stuff plays."
Skenes is looking to build off of one of the greatest rookie seasons in MLB history. He went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts while setting a Pirates franchise record for a rookie with 170 strikeouts over 133 innings. He was also the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts in their first 21 games and the second pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 through their first 22 appearances.
Skenes was also the first rookie pitcher to start an All-Star game since Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Hideo Nomo in 1995.
If Skenes can find a way to reach another level, he'll continue to electrify the Pirates fanbase and may establish himself as the best pitcher in baseball by the time the 2025 season is all said and done.
