The Pittsburgh Pirates were in the All-Star Game spotlight from start to finish, with rookie Paul Skenes making history in the first inning and Bryan Reynolds the final out in the ninth.
As impressive as Skenes was in becoming the first player to go from No. 1 overall draft pick to starting in the All-Star Game the following year, his performance created a new storyline for the Pirates.
Serving as color analyst on the Fox Sports broadcast, Hall of Famer John Smoltz spoke in glowing terms about the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder before the game even started.
“He’s got electric stuff,” Smoltz said. “Pittsburgh is in good hands with Paul Skenes.”
After watching Skenes complete a hitless, 16-pitch first inning against Cleveland’s Steven Kwan, Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson and New York Yankees sluggers Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, Smoltz sounded starstruck. He noted the glove-side command, fading action of his splinker and changeup, his three-quarters arm angle and ability to repeat the mechanics in his delivery and called his ability “off the charts.”
“He could literally throw all four-seam fastballs — I was hoping we’d see more of them,” Smoltz said, “because it’s an angle that not a lot of people see.”
But the most profound comment came after discussing how the Pirates won their final four games and six of seven before the break and enter the second half with a .500 record (48-48), 1 1/2 games out of wild-card contention with a starting rotation that features a 22-year-old right-hander who kept four of baseball’s best players hitless.
“Pittsburgh’s going to have to find a way to get him through the second half,” Smoltz said, echoing the club’s concerns about Skenes’ workload. “Can you imagine them in the postseason?”
1. Composed and confident: Smoltz wasn’t the only Hall of Famer and Fox Sports analyst raving aobut Skenes. Alex Rodriguez and Hall of Famers David Ortiz and Derek Jeter also were effusive in their praise of Skenes, who is 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA and 89 strikeouts in the first 11 starts of his major league career.
“What stood out for me was his composure,” Rodriguez said. “He’s 22 but he acts like he’s 32 — and that should be great because this moment is not going to be too big for him.”
Ortiz said Skenes has shown composure “on another level,” and noted how he didn’t show any signs of being rattled in his major league debut on May 11 against the Chicago Cubs.
“When I used to play, I used to watch pitchers’ body language a lot, especially when they get in trouble,” Ortiz said. “The first game that this guy performed at this level, his body language and composure was on another level. He got into trouble a few times, he never looked back to the dugout expecting a coach to come out or the manager to come out and say something to him. He was going back out, ‘Give me that baseball. I’ve got something extra to put up there.’ Man, he just throws like he’s been in the league for 10 years.”
Jeter credited Skenes’ confidence in his ability, given that he has a pitch repertoire that features a 102-mph four-seam fastball that he mixes with a splinker — a splitter-sinker hybrid — and a sweeping slider, changeup and curveball.
“You talk about composure and it starts with confidence. He has confidence in his ability,” Jeter said. “The bottom line, you have more confidence when you have great stuff. He has nasty stuff, so when he gets in trouble, he has the ability to simply throw it by you. That’s got to be a great feeling. It’s been a whirlwind for him the last year, and it’s going to be electric tonight. This kid has an opportunity to pitch on the biggest stage, a national stage, and I expect him to do awesome.”
2. Throwing gas: Rodriguez also shared that Skenes said to “expect some gas from me.” That’s exactly what the trio of former AL All-Stars anticipate they would see if they were facing Skenes.
“I’m glad I’m not. That’s a lot of heat,” Rodriguez said. “I’m going to look to fastball, I’m going to look 100 and I’m going to look to be very aggressive early.”
Ortiz offered a similar approach.
“I’m going to sit on the fastball,” the former Boston Red Sox slugger said. “He’s got the cross angle from the three-quarters that he’s getting to you real fast, so I’m going to be sitting on the fastball.”
Jeter, the New York Yankees captain, had different designs.
“I’m laying one down to bunt,” Jeter said. “He’s going to be nervous. I’m making him throw it to first.”
What’s amazing is how close it came to playing out that way.
3. No complaints: Soto assured fans that he would make sure they got the matchup they so desperately desired with Skenes facing New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
There was an air of anticipation all day.
“It’s going to be electric. That’s what the fans want to see. They want to see the best out there,” Judge told Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports before the game. “He’s just starting his career, but he’s going to have a long, successful career, so it’ll be fun to see him go out there and do his thing.”
It was definitely electric, but more like a flash of lightning.
While making his red carpet entrance with girlfriend, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, Skenes told Greg Amsinger of MLB Network that his plan was to challenge hitters in the first inning Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
“I’m going to try to get outs,” Skenes said. “Each guy, they don’t have many holes. I’m just going to try to attack them and pitch my game.”
That required Skenes to face Kwan, batting an MLB-best .352; Henderson (28 homers); and Soto, whose 79 walks lead the majors. As for Judge, a former AL MVP who leads MLB with 34 home runs?
Skenes was preparing to face the cleanup hitter, just in case.
“I’m going to go straight after him,” Skenes told MLB Network. “I’m not going to complain — and I don’t think anybody in America would complain — if Aaron Judge gets an at-bat in the first inning.”
4. Wish granted: After Skenes got Kwan to hit a pop fly to shortstop Trea Turner in shallow center field and Henderson to hit a comebacker for a groundout, Soto worked a walk when Skenes’ 100-mph full-count fastball on the inside corner was called a ball.
“Before facing him, yeah, I was trying to take him deep. I’m not going to lie,” Soto said. “Definitely after that two strikes, I was trying to work that bag because I wanted to make sure (Judge) faced him, too. I got my job done.”
Soto gave Skenes a nod of approval after a soft swing and miss of his first pitch, a 94.4-mph splinker, and gave Judge a glance after delivering the walk. Judge told SNY that Soto also caught his eye after fouling off a 2-2 fastball clocked at 100.1 mph.
“He was really looking at me after he fouled that heater off,” Judge said, with a laugh. “He wanted that pitch back, for sure.”
No wonder Judge swung at Skenes’ first pitch, a 99.7-mph four-seamer over the heart of the plate. But he hit a bouncer to Philadelphia third baseman Alec Bohm for a forceout at second.
Skenes didn’t get a strikeout but topped triple digits twice and got a fly out and a pair of groundouts.
“I didn’t have a ton of pitches to show it off,” Skenes told Rosenthal, “but it felt good and I got a zero, which is what matters.”
Speaking of zeroes, Skenes stretched his hitless streak to eight innings, counting his seven no-hit innings at the Milwaukee Brewers on July 11. The last player to record a hit against Skenes was Jose Iglesias, who was credited with a single in the seventh inning on July 5 when the New York Mets challenged a call on a groundout to third and got it overturned.
5. Imagine that: Reynolds earned his spot on the All-Star team thanks to an MLB-best 25-game hitting streak and going 4 for 5 with two homers, including a grand slam, and six RBIs in that 14-2 win over the Mets on July 5, just two days before NL roster selections were announced.
But the switch-hitting Reynolds, who has 18 homers and 61 RBIs, showed why he belongs with baseball’s best by lining a single off Kansas City’s Seth Lugo in the seventh inning. Reynolds also went down swinging against Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase in the top of the ninth for the final out of the game.
With Reynolds leading an offensive resurgence, the Pirates have a starting rotation that includes Skenes, 2023 All-Star right-hander Mitch Keller and a bullpen that features Colin Holderman, Aroldis Chapman and two-time All-Star closer David Bednar on the back end.
They got lefties Martin Perez and Marco Gonzales and righty Quinn Priester back from the injured list but need lefties Bailey Falter and Ryan Borucki and rookie right-hander Jared Jones to get healthy and for shortstop Oneil Cruz, third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and outfielder Jack Suwinski to show some consistency at the plate. And, even then, the Pirates still need additional support to become a real contender.
If they can start the second half strong in the six-game homestand against the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals — a tall task for a team with a 22-24 record at PNC Park — the Pirates can put pressure on the front office to be buyers instead of sellers at the trade deadline in hopes of making a playoff push.
This much is for certain: Skenes has shown that he’s ready to shine on the biggest stage.
