Pittsburgh Review

Paul Skenes concluded his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Pirates in a memorable fashion at Yankee Stadium. The right-hander, known for his stoic demeanor on the mound, couldn't help but smile after striking out Jazz Chisholm Jr. to end his final outing of the season.

Skenes was limited to two innings in the Pirates' 9-4 victory over the Yankees, reaching a total of 160 1/3 innings pitched between Triple-A and Major League Baseball this year. This workload aligns with the team’s target range for his first full professional season.

Reflecting on his performance, Skenes said, “Definitely glad to be able to finish the season and be able to do it here. Cool to do it against this lineup. So [I] wish I could keep going, but that's where we're at."

Skenes finished the season with an impressive record: 11-3, a 1.96 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched. These statistics place him firmly in contention for the National League Rookie of the Year award.

“To have a sub-two ERA in his first year, especially in today's era, that's pretty special,” said manager Derek Shelton. “I think we're seeing a guy that's really elite, has the ability to make pitches and has room for growth. I think that's really fun for Pirates fans if that's the case."

Shelton compared Skenes favorably to other notable pitchers he has coached during his career with Cleveland and Tampa Bay, including CC Sabathia, David Price, and Chris Archer. "That's a pretty good list of guys,” Shelton remarked, “and I would put him [Skenes] right at the top of that."

The Pirates had initially faced some criticism for starting Skenes in Triple-A Indianapolis at the beginning of the season. However, this decision allowed him to gradually build up his workload before being called up in mid-May. This strategy aimed to ensure that Skenes could finish strong and be well-prepared for future seasons.

“We didn't know if it was going to be perfect,” Shelton admitted about their plan for managing Skenes’ workload. “I don't think anybody did... We wanted to make sure we ramped him up... Overall, I think it stands out that it worked out pretty well."

Looking ahead to next year, Skenes is optimistic about improving further. “We got right to where the innings threshold was,” he said. “So frustrating first couple of months but glad to be able to do what I did this year."

As he prepares for the 2025 campaign, Skenes remains focused on winning more games and refining his skills further.

"Win a lot of baseball games," he stated when asked about his goals for next season.