Pirates rookie Paul Skenes shines in All-Star Game, makes quick work of Aaron Judge

Baseball fans got their wish, as Paul Skenes faced Aaron Judge in the All-Star Game.

New York Yankees star Juan Soto made good on his promise to get his teammate a first-inning at-bat, drawing a full-count walk against the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander to set up the monster matchup between the 6-foot-6 Skenes and the 6-7 Judge that was billed as “big on big.”

After going 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA and 89 strikeouts in his first 11 starts, Skenes became the first player in MLB history to go from No. 1 overall pick to starting in the All-Star Game the following year for the National League and the first rookie to start in an All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo in 1995.

Skenes was asked by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports during an in-game interview whether he was excited or nervous.

“A little bit of both,” Skenes said. “Obviously, you can’t deny that there are three decks that are filled with people, but, at the end of the day, it’s just baseball.”

STARting pitcher, Paul Skenes ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/r7YUAmHW0n

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 17, 2024

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.

The Skenes Splinker. pic.twitter.com/8WQvnWbIHw

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 17, 2024

Soto was the toughest at-bat. Skenes got a soft swing on his first pitch, a 94.4-mph splinker that had Soto nod his head toward the mound in approval. Soto took successive balls on a slider and a splinker and whiffed on another splinker. Then Soto fouled off a 100.1-mph four-seamer and took 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.

“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 get a strikeout but threw 11 of his 16 pitches for strikes, topping triple digits twice in getting 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 the All-Star Game as a color analyst for Fox Sports, was impressed with Skenes in the first time watching him pitch in person.

“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.”

The AL won the game, 5-3. Boston’s Jarren Duran hit 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. Duran won MVP honors.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer to give the NL a 3-0 lead in the third.