Paul Skenes stats today: Pirates ace celebrates 22nd birthday with nine-strikeout showcase vs. Tigers

By | May 29, 2024
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With a golden arm and bravado to match, it’s easy to see why folks flock to television sets when Paul Skenes takes the mound.

The Pirates hurler is as menacing they come on the bump, towering over his opponents with a mammoth 6-6 build. He’s got the power to match, too. Skenes possesses the sort of pitch mix conjured up in a laboratory, replete with velocity (his fastball), mystique (his slider) and chicanery (his “splinker”).

On Wednesday, Skenes’ 22nd birthday, he pieced together another gem, the third of his four-game big league career.

MORE: Where Paul Skenes’ fastball ranks among MLB’s fastest pitches

Facing off against the Tigers, Skenes was electric. He whiffed nine batters on the day, most of whom with that dastardly splinker, which drops like an anchor outside the strike zone yet is still teeming with vigor (and plenty of velocity).

Here’s a closer look at Skenes’ marvelous day under the Motor City sun.

Paul Skenes stats today

Skenes painted another masterpiece, this time reserving his brush for a weary Tigers bunch. His final numbers reflect his dominance: Skenes tossed 6.0 innings, surrendering three hits, two earned runs and just one walk while fanning nine in just 96 pitches. He coaxed 19 whiffs on the day and threw four pitches in excess of 100 mph.

The newly minted 22-year-old started the contest with aplomb, setting aside leadoff hitter Wenceel Perez with three fastballs, the last of which came in at 99 mph.

MORE: Everything to know about Paul Skenes’ pitch mix

He would only continue his assault on Detroit’s lineup in the innings to come. His splinker surfaced on the very next at-bat, coaxing Riley Greene into a whiff.

Then came the slider, which left Mark Canha in a bad way. 

Ultimately, though, Skenes’ success was built on the foundation of that sweet, sweet splinker. The youngster found lightning in a bottle with that pitch while at LSU. Now it’s wreaking havoc to Major League bats time and time again.

MORE: Skenes flirts with history with 7 straight strikeouts

Skenes used the splinker to finish off five of his nine strikeouts on the day. He tossed the pitch 39 times on Wednesday afternoon. Not a single one of them resulted in a hit, per Statcast (pitch-tracking classifies Skenes’ offering as a splitter).

Here’s a tale of the tape from Skenes’ slinking showcase:

He wasn’t able to finish off what he started — Pittsburgh pulled him in the seventh for reliever Aroldis Chapman. Nevertheless, it was a performance worthy of a victory. And fortunately for Skenes, he got just what he deserved: The Pirates blitzed the Tigers at the plate, propelling them to a 10-2 win.

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