This is his world, we’re just living in it
Nobody’s got it better right now than Paul Skenes.
On Sunday we found out that Skenes is heading to the MLB All-Star Game this upcoming Tuesday in Texas. Today we learned that not only will Skenes be partaking in the All-Star Game, he’ll be the starting pitcher for the National League. Skenes found out in the middle of an interview on the Dan Patrick Show when NL All-Star manager Torey Lovullo called in to tell him.
NL All-Star manager Torey Lovullo calls in to tell Paul Skenes he will be the NL starter for the All-Star Game@Paul_Skenes @Pirates @MLB pic.twitter.com/EeAmuuM17l
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) July 12, 2024
WARNING: A heat wave is about to hit Texas.
Paul Skenes has been named the starting pitcher for the National League at the All-Star Game pic.twitter.com/wjOKiloWOm
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 12, 2024
I’m running out of superlatives to describe Skenes. He will be the fifth rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game, and the newly turned 22-year-old Skenes is the sixth youngest pitcher to start an All-Star Game.
At 22 years & 48 days old on Tuesday, Paul Skenes will be the 6th-youngest pitcher to start the All-Star Game, older than only:
1959 Jerry Walker: 20y, 172d
1981 Fernando Valenzuela: 20y, 281d
1986 Dwight Gooden: 21y, 241d
1976 Mark Fidrych: 21y, 334d
1971: Vida Blue: 21y, 350d— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 12, 2024
Skenes took the mound yesterday in Milwaukee and had a no-hitter through seven innings. He wasn’t given the chance to finish off the no-hitter attempt as he was pulled prior to the start of the eighth inning. Skenes’s final line on the day: 7 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 11 Ks. He is now one of four pitchers to have multiple outings of 10 strikeouts and 0 hits in a single season. The other three pitchers? Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in 1973 and future Hall of Famers Justin Verlander in 2015 and Max Scherzer in 2022. I’ll remind you that Skenes has been a big league pitcher for about two months now.
The MLB All-Star Game is Tuesday at 7:00 on FOX.