Pittsburgh Review

Paul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates' standout rookie pitcher, reflected on his eventful year during a recent interview. Known for his impressive performance this season, Skenes has made significant achievements including starting an All-Star Game and striking out Shohei Ohtani with a 100 mph fastball. He has maintained a 1.99 ERA and set a franchise rookie record with 167 strikeouts.

On Tuesday, Skenes was unanimously awarded the Steve Blass Award by the local chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, recognizing him as the Pirates' pitcher of the year. There is also national speculation about whether he will be named the National League’s Rookie of the Year in his first full professional season.

When asked if anything stood out to him this year that he didn’t expect, Skenes took some time before responding: “I don't know,” he said. “I didn't put a ton of expectations on the year other than to really learn and then go out there and execute to the best of my ability and whatever happens, happens.”

Skenes credited much of his learning to working with veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal throughout most of the season. Both Grandal and manager Derek Shelton have praised Skenes' ability to make in-game adjustments, which is often challenging for young pitchers.

“He's a continuous learner,” Shelton noted. “How he handles situations, how he's able to make adjustments... The ability to be able to change his repertoire, execute pitches... I think that's what probably stands out the most.”

Reflecting on using his full range of pitches rather than relying solely on his four-seam fastball and slider from college days, Skenes commented: “It’s not like we’re just punching X and O and triangle or whatever it is in ‘The Show,’” referring to a popular baseball video game. “It’s like, ‘Well, I have it, so I might as well throw it.’”

Skenes has one more start scheduled this weekend at Yankee Stadium but will miss the final homestand at PNC Park this year. Looking ahead to next season, he expressed optimism: “We’re going to be better next year,” he said. “We’re going to win a lot more games next year... [Fans should] just keep coming. It means a lot to us. We’re going to give it back to them.”