Paul Skenes is making history again for the Pirates as the fourth rookie in MLB history to start the All-Star Game for the National League, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced on the “Dan Patrick Show.”
Skenes’ rise has been meteoric, as he was in the minor leagues just two months ago.
Now, he enters into rare air as an NL Cy Young contender despite being a rookie. He is third on the NL Cy Young leaderboard, according to FanDuel.
Only one rookie, Fernando Venezuela in 1981 with the Dodgers, has ever won the Cy Young award.
Skenes has looked dominant in the big leagues, attracting fans because his impressive velocity and swagger on the mound.
His 1.90 ERA would be the best in baseball if he qualified. Ex-Met and current Royals pitcher Seth Lugo is the ERA leader at 2.21.
Skenes made national headlines Thursday by dominating one of the league’s best offenses in the Milwaukee Brewers, no-hitting them through seven innings with 11 strikeouts.
Manager Derek Shelton decided to pull Skenes, claiming he could tell his stud rookie was beginning to tire and that his pitches were starting to hang in the zone.
“He was tired,” Shelton explained. “It really didn’t have anything to do with the pitch count. Everybody makes it about pitch counts; it was about where he was at. It was about trusting your eyes, trusting him.”
In addition to his prowess on the field, Skenes has also made headlines off the field as he is dating LSU star gymnast Livvy Dunne.
Dunne threw him a surprise celebration for making the All-Star team July 7.
Little did she know he would soon become the main attraction as the starter for the big event.
