- MLB. Cardinals star Willson Contreras suffers a fracture after being hit by a swing from J.D. Martinez
- MLB. Kate Upton 'steals limelight' from husband Justin Verlander and goes viral with Gerrit Cole's wife
Major League Baseball fans have waited patiently for the Pittsburgh Pirates to call up Paul Skenes. The top overall selection in the 2023 draft, Skenes has spent the better part of a year blowing away minor league hitters while the rebuilding Pirates have attempted to grow more competitive, fostering a good environment for a young pitcher to grow.
Though the Pirates have a losing record through 38 games, there are positive signs that Pittsburgh is getting ready to turn a corner toward contention. And now, the Buccos are ready to hand Skenes his major league shot.
Skenes is headed for the Show
The Pirates on Wednesday announced that Skenes will be called up to the MLB club and will make his debut on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
The callup comes after Skenes dominated at Triple-A Indianapolis, pitching to a 0.99 ERA in 27 1/3 innings at the highest minor-league level. Skenes, a 6'6'' power pitcher, recorded 45 strikeouts to only eight walks while on the bump for the Indians -- and in two minor-league seasons, the 21-year-old allowed only seven runs across 12 total starts.
Skenes' debut has been widely-anticipated, and he joins a Pirates team that is struggling to score runs but boasts one of the best pitching staffs in baseball to this point in the young season. The 17-21 Pirates entered Wednesday ranked third in the NL in ERA, and Skenes will join 22-year-old Jared Jones and 2023 All-Star Mitch Keller atop the Pittsburgh rotation.
It remains to be seen how Skenes will fare against the NL Central joint leaders, or whether his gymnast star girlfriend Olivia Dunne will fly to Pittsburgh to watch him. But no matter what, Skenes' debut on Saturday will be must-see television for any baseball fan.