Not bad for a rookie.
Emerging Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, fresh off a stellar performance on Thursday where he pitched seven innings of no-hit baseball and struck out eleven against the Brewers, has been named the National League starter for the All-Star Game. Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo made the announcement on Friday during a call to “The Dan Patrick Show,” where Patrick was interviewing Skenes.
“Yeah, look, I just felt it was my time to butt in on a really special moment. I can see you guys were having your special time, but Paul, first of all, how are you doing? I just wanted to congratulate you; I’ve chosen you to be the starter for the National League in the 2024 All-Star Game,” Lovullo said during the segment. “I’m really, really excited for you. It’s an unbelievable honor, and one that’s so well-deserved.”
Skenes, 22, boasts a perfect 6-0 record this season in 11 appearances, with 89 strikeouts, a 1.90 ERA, and an impressive 0.92 WHIP. Although he doesn’t qualify among stats leaders due to only having pitched 66.1 innings, his ERA would rank as the best in the majors, and he would be third in WHIP.
His 89 strikeouts rank fifth in major league history through 11 career starts, trailing Kerry Wood’s 98 in 1998. Second on that list is Hideo Nomo with 96 strikeouts in 1995, the last rookie to start as a pitcher in the All-Star Game.
Skenes becomes the fifth rookie pitcher in MLB history to start an All-Star Game, joining Nomo, Fernando Valenzuela (1981 for the Dodgers), Mark Fidrych (1976 for the Tigers), and Dave Stenhouse (1962 for the Senators).
“You represent so many great things that this game craves,” Lovullo continued. “It’s such a great story, the way you’ve come on the scene, the way you’ve done it with such humbleness, it’s noticeable. I’ll be honored to be your manager, and I’ll be honored to watch you throw your first pitch. I’m super excited about that.”
Skenes, visibly pleased by the announcement, expressed his excitement in a humble manner.
“That’s cool, that’s really cool,” Skenes said during the interview. “I think my parents are watching the show right now, but I’ll give them a call after. That’s cool. I’ll probably get more excited leading up to the game, hopefully will have a full night’s sleep before. I haven’t put much thought into it because I’ve been getting asked about it a little bit the past few days. And I haven’t given much thought into it just because I had the game yesterday, obviously, too. Now I can focus my attention on that, and that’s pretty dang cool.”
The 2024 All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
