Pirates Reveal Probable Starting Pitchers vs. Marlins
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates revealed their probable starting pitchers ahead of their first series of the 2025 season vs. the Miami Marlins on the road.
Pirates right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes will start opening day on March 27 vs. Marlins right-handed pitcher Sandy Alcantara, who won the National League Cy Young Award in 2022.
Pittsburgh right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller gets the second start on March 28 against Marlins right-handed pitcher Connor Gillispie.
Left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter will start on March 29, taking on Marlins right-handed pitcher Valente Bellozo.
The Pirates will then have left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney get the final start on March 30 against Marlins right-handed pitcher Max Meyer.
The Pirates have set their rotation for the opening series pic.twitter.com/lHUQxAIRQJ
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) March 26, 2025
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 innings, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while making 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a 11.50 K/9 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, 49 years ago. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers doing so in 1995, 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 the NL CY Young Award voting.
Keller finished his fourth full season with the Pirates in 2024. He started 31 contests, posting an 11-12 record, a 4.25 ERA over 178.0 innings pitched, 166 strikeouts to 50 walks and a .261 opposing batting average.
The Philadelphia Phillies traded Falter to the Pirates on Aug. 1, 2023 in exchange for infielder Rodolfo Castro.
Falter pitched in 10 games and started seven contests for Pittsburgh in 2023, finishing with a 2-2 record and a 5.58 ERA in 40.1 innings pitched.
He spent a full season as a starter with the Pirates in 2024, with 28 starts, a 4.43 ERA in 142.1 innings pitched, 97 strikeouts to 45 walks and a .260 opposing batting average.
Heaney signed a one-year, $5.25 million with the Pirates this offseason. He posted a 4.28 ERA with 159 strikeouts over 160 innings and 31 starts for the Texas Rangers in 2024. The year prior, he helped the franchise win its first World Series by finishing the season with a 4.15 ERA in 147 1/3 frames and 34 appearances, 28 of which were starts.
Pittsburgh Pirates Probable Starting Pitchers vs. Miami Marlins
RHP Paul Skenes (Pirates) vs. RHP Sandy Alcantara (Marlins)-March 27 (4:10 p.m.)
RHP Mitch Keller (Pirates) vs. RHP Connor Gillespie (Marlins)-March 28 (7:10 p.m.)
LHP Bailey Falter (Pirates) vs. RHP Valente Bellozo (Marlins)-March 29 (4:10 p.m.)
LHP Andrew Heaney (Pirates) vs. RHP Max Meyer (Marlins)-March 30 (1:10 p.m.)
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.