Paul Skenes Joins Nolan Ryan in Record Books with 7 No-Hit Innings, 11 K’s

No no-hitter has ever been thrown by Paul Skenes. not at a university. not in the senior year. Much of that can be attributed to him growing up primarily as a catcher rather than a pitcher.
At American Family Field on Thursday, Skenes came very close to winning the Pirates’ road series against the Brewers by pitching seven shutout innings and matching a career-high eleven strikeouts. The Pirates prevailed 1-0.
Because it was a tie game until Yasmani Grandal doubled home Jack Suwinski in the top of the seventh for the game’s lone run, Skenes didn’t realise he had a chance at history until the sixth or seventh inning.
When the score is 1-0, Skenes stated, “I think it’s really easy [not to think about the no-hitter] because one swing can tie it up.” After the game, it won’t really matter. It all comes down to getting away.
Skenes could have discovered he was creating history if he had given it some thought. The longest streak of any Pirates pitcher was eight starts in a row with at least seven strikeouts. He became the second player in the history of the American and National League to start a game with at least 11 strikeouts in six or more innings without allowing a hit, joining Nolan Ryan in that feat. It should be noted that Ryan accomplished the no-hitter in both of his attempts at doing so in 1973.
Oh, and by the way, it reduced Skenes’ earned run average to 1.90 with 89 strikeouts in 11 starts—the fifth-highest total in MLB history since 1901. This 22-year-old kid is already an All-Star for a reason.
However, after the seventh inning, during their usual trip through the tunnel that connects the dugout to the clubhouse, Pirates manager Derek Shelton had a talk with Skenes. As a result, Skenes started receiving hugs from his teammates, and Colin Holderman started acting erratic in the bullpen. After 99 pitches, he was done for the day.
Indeed, Skenes declared, “I really wanted to finish it.” “But understand that side of it; throw every five days, six days, whatever it is now.”
Shelton clarified, “It really had nothing to do with the pitch count.” Everyone discusses pitch count. It concerned his current situation. It was about having faith in both him and your eyes. He was exhausted when I went to talk to him after that. He gave us everything he had, and they did a good job wearing him down.
Shelton explained that Skenes was showing signs of exhaustion based on the way his body was responding; the Bucs noticed this in the sixth inning before allowing him to play another frame. Thanks to two strong defensive plays up the middle by second baseman Nick Gonzales, the seventh inning lasted just six pitches. Nevertheless, that was sufficient to end the game, especially since they hadn’t seen him appear tired yet this season.
The Brewers put Skenes through a lot of pitching pressure in the first three innings, forcing him to throw sixty-three. Even though he struck out seven in that time, it appeared that his afternoon might not be as long as usual. However, a common thread throughout so many of Skenes’ starts is that he modifies his approach to become more effective, and the Brewers obliged by producing quicker outs.
According to Brewers manager Pat Murphy, “hitting against this guy with two strikes is death, you know?” That is a double-edged sword. It’s not as simple as deciding to increase the pitch count. It takes skill to do that. He realised it and adjusted accordingly. He deserves all the praise.
Skenes typically plans out how the game should begin before relying more on Grandal to make mid-game changes.
Grandal stated, “It went pretty well today.” “Hopefully, he simply keeps moving forward.”
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With just one walk and one hit batter in his final seven scoreless innings, Skenes recorded eleven strikeouts.
It seems more likely than not that Skenes will make more history in the near future. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only four rookie pitchers have ever started an All-Star Game: Hideo Nomo (1995), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Mark Fidrych (1976), and Dave Stenhouse (1962). He is a strong contender to start for the NL side. However, Skenes would be even more noteworthy because, going into an All-Star start, his 11 starts would tie Fidrych for the fewest in a career (Fidrych also made two relief appearances).
Although Skenes claims he hasn’t given the idea of launching the Midsummer Classic much thought, it seems like a plausible idea.
Shelton stated, “It would be a really special and cool opportunity for the Pirates, for our organisation.” “We’ll be really honoured if that’s what they ultimately decide.”
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