Paul Skenes' Hilarious Reaction to Ryan O'Hearn's Historic Day
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After Ryan O'Hearn's monster day at the plate, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes couldn't help but crack some dry humor.
Following a 12-4 blowout win over the Atlanta Braves that saw O'Hearn launch three home runs and record 10 RBIs while Skenes allowed just two earned runs over six innings, the latter poked some fun at the former for killing the Pirates' rallies.
"I think it was kind of selfish, to be honest," Skenes said. "Everybody else was getting on, and then, home runs are rally killers. You hit a three-run home run or a grand slam and it's just like, what now? There's nobody on. Nobody can drive him in. Good for him, I guess."
Skenes then added that O'Hearn's performance was one of the best he's ever seen from one of his teammates throughout his time in Pittsburgh up to this point.
"No, it was pretty special to watch," Skenes said. "That was probably the best performance I've seen from a teammate since I've been in the big leagues."
You know vibes are good when Paul Skenes drops some dry humor 😆
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) July 8, 2026
On O'Hearn: "I think it was kind of selfish... Home runs are rally killers... good for him, I guess." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/6SvTOauicH
Skenes and O'Hearn Hold the Keys to Pirates' Playoff Chances
With Konnor Griffin out for roughly two months following a tear of the sagittal band ligament on his left ring finger, Pittsburgh will need Skenes and O'Hearn to keep carrying the weight much like they did in its series opener against Atlanta.
It's no secret that Skenes had been battling his way through the roughest stretch of his major league career up until his bounce-back outing vs. the Braves. From May 17 to July 1, the right-hander had posted a 5.36 ERA over 47 innings and nine outings, with the Pirates going 0-9 during that span.
While Skenes' average velocity on his fastball has dropped from 98.1 mph in 2025 to 96.9 mph in 2026, most of his underlying metrics this season are in line with where they've previously stood, suggesting that he's perhaps gotten a bit unlucky and that any talks of his decline were drastically overblown.
It'll take more than one good start for Skenes to turn the tide on his campaign as a whole. With Griffin out and the Pirates looking to keep pace in a crowded National League Wild Card race, though, the club needs him to return to his Cy Young form.
O'Hearn is just as important to Pittsburgh's postseason chances as an everyday player. The left-handed slugger has been worth every penny of the two-year, $29 million deal he signed with the team this past offseason, as he owns an .851 OPS with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs in 290 at-bats.
The 32-year-old has provided a major jolt to a Pirates lineup that's one of the best in baseball, and if he can keep up the torrid pace he's established to begin July, the team has a real shot to end their 10-year playoff drought.
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Jack is a New Jersey native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh as a Media & Professional Communications major in 2024 who is now covering the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees for On SI.