Baseball fans got their wish as Pittsburgh Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes faced New York Yankees star Aaron Judge in the All-Star Game.
Yankees’ Juan Soto set up the much-anticipated showdown by drawing a full-count walk against the Pirates’ right-hander, pitting the 6-foot-6 Skenes against the 6-7 Judge in a matchup dubbed “big on big.”
After an impressive start to his rookie season, going 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA and 89 strikeouts in his first 11 starts, Skenes made history as the first player to go from No. 1 overall pick to starting in the All-Star Game the following year for the National League. He also became the first rookie to start an All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo in 1995.
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In an in-game interview with Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Skenes admitted to feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. “A little bit of both,” Skenes said. “Obviously, you can’t deny that there are three decks filled with people, but, at the end of the day, it’s just baseball.”
The first batter Skenes faced, Cleveland’s Steven Kwan, known for his high contact rate and .352 batting average in the first half, fouled off a 98.2-mph fastball, missed a 94.2-mph splinker, fouled off another splinker, and finally grounded a 99.9-mph fastball to shortstop Trea Turner.
Next, Skenes faced Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, who watched a splinker, swung at a 98.9-mph fastball, took a 99.6-mph fastball for a ball, and then grounded back to the mound.
Soto proved to be a tough at-bat. Skenes started with a 94.4-mph splinker that Soto approved with a nod. Soto then took two balls, whiffed on another splinker, fouled off a 100.1-mph fastball, and worked a full count before drawing a walk on a 100-mph fastball.
Skenes quickly dispatched Judge, who swung at the first-pitch fastball (99.7 mph) and grounded to third baseman Alec Bohm for a forceout to end the inning.
“It was cool to face off against them back-to-back,” Skenes said. “They were tough, for sure. Soto was a tough at-bat, and Judge, I kind of went after him and got him to roll over. It was cool to be able to face them in the All-Star Game, them being teammates and facing them back-to-back.”
Skenes didn’t record a strikeout but threw 11 of his 16 pitches for strikes, topping 100 mph twice, and induced three groundouts in his All-Star debut. “It went well,” Skenes said. “I didn’t have a ton of pitches to show it off, but it felt good and I got a zero, which is what matters.”
Hall of Famer John Smoltz, working as a color analyst for Fox Sports, was impressed with Skenes’ composure in his first-ever All-Star Game appearance. “I just know that for a young man to be in this spot and to not get outside of himself in his first-ever appearance, that’s a great sign,” Smoltz said. “It’s not easy to pitch in your first All-Star Game, especially as a rookie. Man, it’s going to be fun to watch him throughout the year.”
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The American League won the game, 5-3, with Boston’s Jarren Duran hitting a tie-breaking two-run homer off Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene in the fifth inning. Bethel Park native Mason Miller of the Oakland A’s was the winning pitcher, and Duran was named MVP. Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer to give the National League a 3-0 lead in the third inning.
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