The Paul Skenes effect has taken many shapes and sizes since the rookie phenom made his Pittsburgh Pirates debut May 11.
Individually, because of his draft pedigree, swift ascent through the minor leagues and now his performance in the major leagues, Skenes has become one of the top stories in baseball.
In short, when he’s on the mound, the Pirates are well-equipped to come out on top of any given contest.
But off the baseball diamond — and into the PNC Park stands — perhaps the most noticeable impact of Skenes’ presence has been the level of engagement he has helped manufacture among the Pirates’ fan base.
A sellout crowd of 37,037 — the Pirates’ first since April 5’s home opener — was eager to watch Skenes pitch vs. the New York Mets Friday at PNC Park.
The fans enjoyed every second of a 14-2 victory that featured 16 hits and a whopping seven homers, which tied the franchise’s single-game record.
“It was rocking,” said outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs. “They were locked in from the beginning and got super loud when they needed to. We definitely fed off it, for sure.”
While Reynolds strengthened his All-Star credentials with Friday’s performance, first baseman Rowdy Tellez continued an impressive metamorphosis from persona non grata to fan favorite in Pittsburgh.
Tellez matched Reynolds’ homer output, including a grand slam of his own in the eighth inning, boosting his batting average to .243 while collecting five RBIs.
If you're not here, you should be. pic.twitter.com/US8Fj5YvUL
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 6, 2024
He also took note of the atmosphere Friday and appreciated Pirates fans cheering his name during at-bats, a significant departure from the loud chorus of boos he received earlier this season during the worst of a multi-month offensive slump.
“It was awesome,” Tellez said. “I’ve been super fortunate to play in front of some big crowds, and players, especially the home guys, feed off that sort of stuff. When you can put up runs like that, play like that, pitch like that, 1-9, I think it’s huge. The fans definitely had our back, and that was awesome. That was fun to be a part of.”
If it’s even possible to overshadow Skenes, the Pirates’ offense did its best to do it.
Still, Skenes delivered another commanding performance, bouncing back from a third-inning solo homer allowed to New York’s Jeff McNeil.
The Pirates trailed 2-0 in the fourth, but from there, the Mets’ offense dried up, as Skenes recovered to pitch through seven innings for only the second time this season.
As fans started piling into PNC Park before first pitch, Skenes had an idea that it was about to be a high-energy evening.
“It was cool,” Skenes said. “I could sense it going out at the beginning of my warmups, just a different buzz.”
Friday’s atmosphere rekindled memories of the 2013-15 NL wild-card games at PNC Park and the crowds those do-or-die contests attracted during the Pirates’ last period of postseason contention.
Of course, in the Pirates clubhouse, only Andrew McCutchen can attest to what playing in front of those crowds was like.
For this current lineup of players who hope to lead the Pirates to greener pastures, Friday offered a taste of what it’s like to have the city of Pittsburgh in their corner.
“We feed off that a lot,” pitcher Mitch Keller said. “Whenever you’re sold out and the crowd’s behind you, it definitely makes it a little easier to play. I hope we don’t have to wait for the playoffs for more nights like that. Tonight’s a great example of a regular-season game. No reason why we can’t have that many people on a weekend series.”
