Paul Skenes continued his incredible rookie season in the Pirates series opener in Houston on Monday night. Skenes threw six innings and allowed just two runs against the first-place Houston Astros. His season ERA is now 1.90. This is ridiculous for a rookie starting pitcher.
The 22-year-old has resurrected a Pittsburgh Pirates fan base that has not had much to celebrate over the last decade. Skenes was drafted about a year ago, which makes this even more impressive. MLB draft picks usually take a few years to get through the Minor Leagues and then contribute to the big league club. Not for Paul Skenes. He has lit the baseball world on fire right out of the gates. Will he be able to keep it up?
Skenes Keeps Dominant Season Going
In the Pirates win over the Astros on Monday, Paul Skenes threw six innings with six strikeouts and yielded two runs. After a rocky start to the season, the Astros have rounded into form. They look like the old Astros again. Add in the fact that this game was played in Houston and it’s another feather in the cap for Skenes.
He has been one of the biggest stories across baseball since his debut on May 11. He was selected to start the All-Star game for the National League. In the All-Star game, he pitched a scoreless first inning while facing Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson, Juan Soto, and Aaron Judge. He is also the frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year. Skenes also dating social media superstar Livvy Dunne is another reason for massive popularity across the sports world.
Paul Skenes currently has an ERA of 1.90. If he keeps this pace up, he will have the lowest ERA for a rookie pitcher in the MLB since the dead-ball era. The current MLB record for lowest ERA by a rookie pitcher is held by Stan Bahnsen. In 1968, Bahnsen threw 267.1 innings and had an ERA of 2.05. Skenes has not given us any reason to not think he will top this.
Pirates in Wild Card Race
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The National League playoff picture is chaotic. While all of the division races are close to being out of hand, the three wild card spots are being fought for by 8-9 teams. The Pittsburgh Pirates are right in the thick of this race. They are just two games out of the third wild card spot.
One thing’s for sure in the Major League Baseball playoffs, if you get in, you have a legitimate chance to make some noise. In the last two seasons, the winners of the National League Pennant were both the last wild card teams in the playoffs.
Last year, the Arizona Diamondbacks went 84-78, just backing into the sixth seed in the NL. From there they went to the World Series where they lost to the Texas Rangers in five games. The year prior, the sixth-seeded Philadelphia Phillies, who finished the regular season with a record of 87-75, made it to the World Series where they lost to the Houston Astros in six games.
Pitching Prevails in October
When it comes to the playoffs, you must have pitching to go far. Paul Skenes won’t be overmatched by any other pitcher in baseball. The Pirates have to think if they can just get into a do-or-die playoff game with Skenes starting, they have a great shot.
We will see if Paul Skenes and company will be able to keep their magical season alive and rally into a wild card spot. There are two months left in the regular season, the home stretch is right around the corner.
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