PAUL Skenes continues to dominate the MLB competition in his stellar rookie season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates phenom picked up his sixth win of the season after holding the Milwaukee Brewers hitless for seven innings.
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Skenes pitched the best start of his young career on Thursday, recording 11 strikeouts and one walk in seven innings of work.
He threw just 99 pitches, and not a single Brewers hitter was able to hit him.
Skenes was pulled after seven innings, much to the dismay of fans, and the bullpen was tasked with finishing off his no-hitter.
However, the first batter to face relief pitcher Colin Holderman recorded a single and ended the historic day.
Skenes wasn’t too upset about being pulled, sharing that he understood the decision.
“I wouldn’t be surprised either way if he sent me out or pulled me out,” Skenes said.
“We have [Colin] Holderman and [Aroldis] Chapman in the bottom of our bullpen, so I think those are probably two of the best guys in the league.
“So I have a lot of confidence in them to be able to finish.
“Obviously in a 1-0 game you want to stay there, you want to finish, but the volume is increasing a little bit, so I understand.”
Skenes still got the win as Pirates held on for a narrow 1-0 victory.
The game against the Brewers was Skenes’ last game before the All Star break, and it dropped his numbers to historic levels.
He owns a 6-0 record and his ERA is 1.90, the lowest for a rookie starter in 66 or more innings.
Skenes is not only an impressive rookie, he is cementing himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball, perhaps even the best.
He is second among qualified starters in ERA, second in strikeouts per nine and fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Five Major MLB Rule Changes in 2024
1. The pitch clock is reduced from 20 to 18 seconds with runners on base. It will remain at 15 seconds with the bases empty.
2. When a pitching change is made, the inning clock will reset to 2:00 instead of 2:15 as it did last year.
3. Teams will only be able to visit four mounds per game in 2024, compared to five last season.
4. Defenders and defenders blocking bases will be called for obstruction.
5. The runners’ lane from home plate to first base has been widened to include the dirt between the grass and the white line.
Although he only made his debut on May 11, Skenes is already 2.6 wins above replacement and is the favorite to win National League Rookie of Year.
Furthermore, if he continues his strong performance, he could be in contention for the National League Cy Young Award.
Skenes has already been named to the All Star team and is a candidate to start the game.
If he were to receive the nod, Skenes would be the first rookie to start the game since 1995.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
