Not only was it another brilliant night for Pirates super rookie Paul Skenes, but he was so strong on Tuesday night that the fans at an opposing ballpark even had to appreciate what he was doing.
The LSU product threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out eight while allowing just five hits with no walks as his Pittsburgh squad hung on for a 2-1 win over the rival Cardinals.
But what might have been the signature moment of the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning when Derek Shelton pulled Skenes at 103 pitches following a Nolan Arenado double.
As the flamethrower walked off the mound to the third-base dugout, he was given a standing ovation by Cardinals supporters at Busch Stadium, something the Sportsnet Pittsburgh crew quickly noticed, as analyst Neil Walker called the classy gesture “incredible.”
Skenes, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, has been as good as advertised, holding a 2.43 ERA with 46 strikeouts through his first six big league starts since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis.
He registered 11 pitches at 99.5 mph or better on Tuesday, registering 14 swing and misses in what might have been his best overall outing as a big leaguer.
According to Baseball Savant, he sits in the 99th percentile in fastball velocity.
This came as he dueled opposite Cardinals righty Miles Mikolas, who himself carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning.
“I had to execute really well. I had get batters out with different stuff each time through the order,” Skenes said afterward, according to the Associated Press.
Shelton also said the Pirates have only seen better and better things from the right-hander so far early in his major league career.
“He was extremely efficient,” Shelton told reporters. “Overall, he was very impressive. We continue to see growth out of Paul.”
With the stuff he’s brought out of the gate, Skenes might be getting more fans to stand and applaud and more batters to sit back down on the bench.