All-Star live file: Pirates rookie Paul Skenes shines in making quick work of Aaron Judge

Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes got out of a jam in the top of the first inning, when he walked Shohei Ohtani and Bryce Harper hit a two-out double to left off Baltimore’s Corbin Burnes to put a pair of runners in scoring position but got William Contreras to ground out.

That set the stage for the spotlight to shine on Paul Skenes.

The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander is the first player in MLB history to go from No. 1 overall pick to starting an All-Star Game the following year.

The plan was for Skenes to pitch one inning, but he got to face Aaron Judge.

The first batter he faced, Cleveland’s Steven Kwan, is one of baseball’s top contact hitters and had a .352 batting average in the first half. Kwan fouled off a 98.2-mph four-seamer, swung and missed at a 94.2-mph splinker, fouled off another splinker and hit a 99.9-mph fastball to shortstop Trea Turner in shallow center.

Skenes got Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson looking at his first offering, a splinker, swinging at a 98.9-mph fastball and taking a 99.6-mph fastball for a ball before hitting a grounder back to the mound for the second out.

New York Yankees star Juan Soto lived up to his promise to get Judge a first-inning at-bat, fouling off a 100.1-mph four-seamer and then taking a curveball to work a full count before sitting on Skenes’ 100-mph fastball for a walk.

But Skenes made quick work of Judge, who swung at his first-pitch fastball (99.7) for a bouncer to Philadelphia third baseman Alec Bohm, who threw to second base for a forceout to end the inning.

Skenes didn’t get a strikeout but threw 11 of his 16 pitches for strikes, touching triple digits twice in his All-Star debut.

Smoltz on Skenes: ‘He’s got electric stuff’

Hall of Fame inductee Adrian Beltre, joined by Hall of Famers Nolan Ryan and Ferguson Jenkins, threw the ceremonial first pitch to Pudge Rodriguez in a tribute to the host Texas Rangers at the All-Star Game.

Fox Sports then turned its attention to National League starter Paul Skenes, and John Smoltz was effusive in his praise for the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander.

“You think about the first time the No. 1 pick and a rookie starts the All-Star Game, well, you’d love to see him go seven innings but he’s going to go one and he’s got electric stuff,” Smoltz said. “His fastball, his changeup, his slider, the stats. Pittsburgh is in good hands with Paul Skenes. Now he’s going to have a great lineup to go against. I think his juices will be flowing and 100 mph will easily be reached.”

Confidence and composure

As Paul Skenes prepares to face the top of the American League order in the first inning of the All-Star Game, Fox Sports analysts raved about the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander’s composure and confidence.

Skenes, who went from 2023 No. 1 overall pick to the first rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo in 1995, has impressed Alex Rodriguez and Hall of Famers David Ortiz and Derek Jeter by going 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 11 starts.

“What stood out for me was his composure,” Rodriguez said. “He’s 22 but he acts like he’s 32 – and that should be great because this moment is not going to be too big for him.”

Ortiz said Skenes has shown composure “on another level,” and noted how he didn’t show any signs of being rattled in his major league debut on May 11 against the Chicago Cubs.

“When I used to play, I used to watch pitchers’ body language a lot, especially when they get in trouble,” Ortiz said. “The first game that this guy performed at this level, his body language and composure was on another level. He got into trouble a few times, he never looked back to the dugout expecting a coach to come out or the manager to come out and say something to him. He was going back out, ‘Give me that baseball. I’ve got something extra to put up there.’ Man, he just throws like he’s been in the league for 10 years.”

Jeter credited Skenes’ confidence in his ability, given that the 6-foot-6, 260-pounder has a pitch repertoire that features a 102-mph four-seam fastball that he mixes with a splinker – a splitter-sinker hybrid – and a sweeping slider, changeup and curveball.

“You talk about composure and it starts with confidence. He has confidence in his ability,” Jeter said. “The bottom line, you have more confidence when you have great stuff. He has nasty stuff, so when he gets in trouble he has the ability to simply throw it by you. That’s got to be a great feeling. It’s been a whirlwind for him the last year, and it’s going to be electric tonight. This kid has an opportunity to pitch on the biggest stage, a national stage, and I expect him to do awesome.”

To that point, Rodriguez also shared that Skenes said to “expect some gas from me.” That’s exactly what the trio of former AL All-Stars anticipates they would see if they were facing Skenes.

Rodriguez: “I’m glad I’m not. That’s a lot of heat. … I’m going to look to fastball, I’m going to look 100 and I’m going to look to be very aggressive early.”

Ortiz: “I’m going to sit on the fastball. He’s got the cross angle from the three-quarters that he’s getting to you real fast so I’m going to be sitting on the fastball.”

Jeter: “I’m laying one down to bunt. He’s going to be nervous. I’m making him throw it to first.”

Cherington hopes Skenes ‘enjoys the moment’

As the Pittsburgh Pirates were talking about the 2024 MLB Draft, general manager Ben Cherington was asked on a conference call about what he hoped to see from rookie right-hander Paul Skenes in the All-Star Game.

“I really hope he enjoys the moment,” Cherington said. “There’s a lot made of this, understandably. This kind of thing doesn’t happen all the time. It is fun. The All-Star Game is a celebration for all of us throughout baseball. It is fun. It’s supposed to be fun. We want this to be fun for Paul, to the extent it can be.”

Cherington also knows that Skenes, as the starting pitcher for the National League and coming off seven no-hit innings at Milwaukee last Thursday, will attempt to live up to his reputation for attacking hitters when he faces the top of the American League lineup in the first inning Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

“We also know the kind of competitor Paul is and how important his preparation is,” Cherington said. “I would expect even right now he’s into that preparation and getting focused on what he needs to do to get that first hitter out. Mostly, want him to enjoy this experience. I know when he’s on the mound he’s going to see a hitter and he’s going to want to get him out. I hope he does that, too, and I hope he walks off the mound in good shape.”

Cherington, however, refused to reveal when Skenes will make his next start for the Pirates. Instead, Cherington said they “look forward to seeing him back in Pittsburgh on Thursday” and promised that he would pitch sometime in the six-game homestand against the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals.

Skenes struts on red carpet

The man who throws triple digits arrived looking like 007.

Skenes took the red carpet before the All-Star Game dressed like an international man of mystery and looking resplendent while wearing a crisp, custom white suit and black tie designed by Krista Abboud of Pittsburgh’s own David Alan Clothing with his Insta-famous girlfriend, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, on his arm.

The stars are out on the red carpet before the All-Star Game ???? pic.twitter.com/484AFLTm5B

— ESPN (@espn) July 16, 2024

"I'll just leave it to the day of."

Paul Skenes has something special cooked up for the #AllStarGame red carpet, and he's not giving any hints ????@joe_block | #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/yiiqnWl6ox

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) July 14, 2024

Skenes said during an in-game interview with SportsNet Pittsburgh on Sunday that he had ordered several new suits for the All-Star events at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, but no one expected him to come out looking like a 6-foot-6 version of James Bond.

With Skenes the starting pitcher for the National League, that makes the top of the American League batting order with Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson and New York Yankees sluggers Juan Soto and Aaron Judge playing the roles of Dr. No, Goldfinger, Blofeld and Mr. Big.

No wonder Skenes called the prospect of facing Judge a “big-on-big matchup.”

The Reynolds crew ???????? pic.twitter.com/YMSuIpy8eE

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 16, 2024

That would make Bryan Reynolds “M,” given his “anchor down” days of for the Vanderbilt Commodores.

When Reynolds was selected to his second All-Star Game, the Pirates outfielder was excited to make it a family affair. So he took his wife, Blair, and young sons, Reese and Brooks, to the Midsummer Classic. Reynolds also was selected in 2021, and ended up starting for the NL when Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury.

“It’s kind of a blur. It kind of runs all together,” Reynolds said on July 7. “What I’m looking forward to this time, though, is getting my boys out on the field for the Home Run Derby. We kind of botched that last time, didn’t do that. That’s one of the bigger reasons I wanted to go.”

you gotta strut like you mean it!

happy all-star game day ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/hLrhiKjqRv

— The Pirate Parrot (@Pirate_Parrot) July 16, 2024

The Pirate Parrot apparently didn’t have a clothing allowance for the red carpet.

But the Pirates mascot wasn’t the only one ready to get into game mode.

In their All-Star Era ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/LMQgC40Lsz

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 15, 2024