Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes was clearly looking to make a statement during his shortened outing at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.
Skenes pitched only two innings in his final start of 2024 against the New York Yankees, but it was sufficient for him to impress NL Rookie of the Year voters. In those two scoreless innings, he faced the minimum and recorded three strikeouts.
Notably, two of those strikeouts included star players Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, showcasing Skenes’ skill.
How are you even supposed to hit Paul Skenes?!?! 🤯
He strikes out Juan Soto AND Aaron Judge with straight filth pic.twitter.com/bqLJYHzyYn
— MLB (@MLB) September 28, 2024
Skenes is in a tight competition for Rookie of the Year with Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres. His final stats for the year include an 11-3 record, a 1.96 ERA, and 170 strikeouts over 133 innings. While his limited innings might negatively impact his candidacy due to his late-season call-up, his dominance could outweigh that disadvantage. Without Merrill in the picture, he would likely be a clear frontrunner.
Looking ahead, the key question is whether the Pirates will allow Skenes to fully showcase his abilities next season, or if they will remain cautious about his workload, as some MLB legends have suggested.
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