Join Fox News for access to this content
You have reached your maximum number of articles. Log in or create an account FREE of charge to continue reading.
By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.
Please enter a valid email address.
The best is yet to come for Paul Skenes. On Saturday, he looked like a longtime ace.
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected the right-handed pitcher with the first overall pick last year, and he dominated the minors and was called up to the big leagues in May.
His dominance earned him an All-Star nod, and he was named the game’s starting pitcher for the National League.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne (Getty Images)
Saturday’s game against the New York Yankees marked the final start of his historic season, and the Pirates had said they probably wouldn’t leave him on the bump for too long. So, he made the most of his time.
In the first inning, he struck out Juan Soto looking on a 100 mph two-seamer and followed up by wiping away likely MVP Aaron Judge with a disgusting breaking ball.
Skenes, an LSU alum, dates LSU Tigers gymnast and social media sensation Livvy Dunne, who is a New Jersey native. Not far from her hometown, Dunne took a trip to the Bronx to watch her boyfriend, and she was impressed.
He only pitched one more inning, but his last pitch of the season was another devastating two-seamer, this one to Jazz Chisholm Jr., that the Yankees third baseman looked at for strike three. Skenes went six up, six down in his final outing.
Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch during the second inning of a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium Sept. 28, 2024, in New York City. (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
WHITE SOX LOSE 121ST GAME OF THE SEASON, SETTING NEW MLB RECORD
Skenes finished his first MLB season with a 1.96 ERA, the lowest among pitchers with over 100 innings pitched. It’s also the lowest ever for a rookie in the live-ball era (since 1920). He also struck out 11.5 batters per nine innings and had a WHIP of 0.95.
The 22-year-old is not qualified for the ERA title because pitchers need to throw one inning per game (normally, 162 innings) to do so, and he pitched 133 this year.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
That will likely prevent him from winning the Cy Young Award, but he’s already an ace and will be in that conversation for a long time.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
