Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Pitcher Paul Skenes Makes History During 2025 Season

Look, I’ve covered a lot of baseball in my day, but watching Paul Skenes carve up major league hitters like he’s playing catch in his backyard never gets old. Tuesday night at Camden Yards, the Pirates’ young gun reached a milestone that had Pirates fans everywhere doing happy dances in their terrible towels. Can he keep it going?

Skenes Reaches Historic 200-Strikeout Mark

When Skenes froze Coby Mayo with an 84 mph sweeper that looked like it had a GPS programmed for the bottom of the strike zone, it wasn’t just strikeout number 200 of the season—it was history in the making. The 22-year-old right-hander became just the eighth Pirates pitcher since 1920 to reach the double-century mark in strikeouts, joining a club that reads like a who’s who of Pirates pitching royalty.

And let’s be honest here—watching Mayo’s reaction to that pitch was priceless. The kid looked like he was trying to hit a wiffle ball thrown by a magician. That’s the Skenes effect, folks. The milestone pitch came in the third inning against Baltimore, and it was vintage Skenes—nasty, precise, and delivered with the kind of confidence that makes veteran hitters question their life choices. He finished the night with eight strikeouts over five innings, pushing his season total to 203 and cementing his place among the game’s elite strikeout artists.

Breaking Down the Numbers Game

Here’s where it gets really fun for us stat nerds. Skenes now sits fourth in all of Major League Baseball with 203 strikeouts, trailing only Boston’s Garrett Crochet (228), Detroit’s Tarik Skubal (222), and San Francisco’s Logan Webb (201). Not bad company for a guy who’s still figuring out what to order at fancy restaurants.

In Pirates franchise history, those 200 strikeouts put Skenes in some serious company. Bob Veale, the left-handed flamethrower from the 1960s, did it four times—including a franchise-record 276 strikeouts in 1965 that still makes Pirates fans misty-eyed. More recently, his teammate Mitch Keller joined the club in 2023 with 210 punchouts.

But here’s what really gets me excited about Skenes: consistency. The kid has posted double-digit strikeouts in multiple games this season, including a season-high 10 against Seattle back in July. He’s not just getting lucky—he’s methodically dismantling lineups with a four-pitch mix that has hitters looking like they’re swinging underwater.

The Cy Young Conversation Gets Louder

Let’s address the elephant in the room—Skenes is making a serious run at the National League Cy Young Award, and frankly, it’s not that crazy to think about. Coming into his start against Baltimore, he was sporting an ERA below 2.00, which in today’s offensive environment is like finding a unicorn riding a bicycle.

The advanced metrics love him, too. His strikeout rate, his ability to miss bats, and his command of the strike zone all scream “elite pitcher,” not “promising rookie.” When you combine that with the fact that he’s carrying a Pirates team that desperately needs pitching excellence, you’ve got a compelling Cy Young narrative.

What Makes This Kid Special

I’ve been around long enough to see plenty of hyped prospects flame out faster than a cheap firework. But Skenes feels different. Maybe it’s the way he attacks hitters with multiple plus pitches, or how he seems to have ice water in his veins in pressure situations. Heck, maybe it’s just that sweeper that moves like it’s defying physics.

Combined with his 170 strikeouts as a rookie in 2024, Skenes now has 370 career strikeouts, placing him 70th in Pirates franchise history. Not bad for a guy who’s basically just getting started. At this rate, he’ll be climbing that list faster than a Pirates fan rushing to get a Primanti Brothers sandwich.

The bottom line? Skenes isn’t just meeting expectations—he’s obliterating them. And for a Pirates organization that’s been searching for that ace-level pitcher to build around, watching their young star join the 200-strikeout club feels like Christmas morning and Opening Day rolled into one beautiful, strikeout-filled package.