Photo: Justin Berl
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes has been named the National League starting pitcher for the MLB All-Star Game, the Pirates announced on Friday (July 12).
"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," the Pirates wrote on their X account.
Skenes, 22, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, has a 6-0 record with a 1.90 ERA and 89 strikeouts through his first 11 games, having made his MLB debut on May 11. The rookie phenom was notified of his starting role by National League manager Torey Lovullo (Arizona Diamondbacks) during a live appearance on the Dan Patrick Show Friday.
"Thank you, skip. That's unbelievable. That's awesome," Skenes said.
Skenes threw for a no-hit seven innings and matched a career-high 11 strikeouts -- having previously thrown six no-hit innings the first time -- during the Pirates' win against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday (July 11). The former LSU standout joined Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan (1973) as the only other player to throw for at least 11 strikeouts and six or more no-hit innings twice in the same season.
Skenes threw 99 pitches before being pulled, which Pirates manager Derek Shelton claimed wasn't because he was about to pass his pitch count.
"It really didn't have anything to do with the pitch count," Shelton told reporters. "Everybody makes it about pitch counts. It was about where he was at. It was about trusting your eyes, trusting him. When I went and talked to him after that, I mean, he was tired. They did a good job of wearing him down."
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