Paul Skenes Silences Dodgers with Electric Performance

In a masterful pitching performance Friday night, Paul Skenes led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 22-year-old right-hander was nearly unhittable, throwing 6 and 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out a season-high 9 batters. Skenes scattered just 5 hits and didn't issue a single walk, lowering his impressive ERA to 2.39.

The Dodgers' lineup, which features some of baseball's most dangerous hitters, never managed to get more than one runner on base at a time against Skenes. His dominating performance silenced the usually loud Dodger Stadium crowd, except for one enthusiastic section.

What the Game Meant to Paul Skenes

For Skenes, this wasn't just another road game. The Lake Forest, California native was pitching in front of more than 30 family members and friends who packed a suite to watch him perform. The hometown return clearly inspired him.

"I was playing for free tonight," said Skenes with a smile after the game. "It was fun. I'll go up there and see them here in a minute. Today, actually, was kind of a family get-together. It was all my mom's brothers, my dad's brother and their families are all here, which is cool. It hasn't happened for a while, so cool to be able to share that with them." - MLB.com

Skenes' Performance

On the mound, Skenes was electric. His fastball hit 100 mph like it was no big deal. But it wasn’t just the heat that made him so dominant, he kept Dodgers hitters guessing all night by using all six of his pitches: fastball, splinker (a mix between a sinker and a splitter), sweeper, curveball, and changeup. He recorded at least one out with each pitch.

Even superstars like Shohei Ohtani had no answers. Skenes faced Ohtani three times and won every battle, getting him to strike out on a nasty curveball, then getting a flyout and a groundout. Freddie Freeman was the only Dodgers hitter who seemed to figure him out, collecting two of their five hits. The Dodgers never managed to get more than one runner on base at the same time.

"This is where baseball gets really fun, I think, to find different ways to get them out," Skenes said. "Ohtani saw all my pitches today. Freddie, I think, saw all my pitches today. They've all seen all my pitches. I'm not hiding anything from them, and they're not hiding anything from me." - MLB.com

Across the field, Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a strong start too, but once again had the tough task of matching up against an ace. Just last week, Yamamoto had to face Jacob deGrom. This time, he had to deal with Paul Skenes — and Skenes came out on top.

Skenes' Stardom Shines Bright

Skenes’ rise to stardom has been fast and exciting. Last season, he took the baseball world by storm, starting the All-Star Game, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award, and even finishing third in the NL Cy Young race, given to the best pitcher in the league. Now, he’s looking even better in his second year. And on Thursday night, in front of the people who have supported him from the very beginning, Paul Skenes gave them a show they won’t forget.