Pirates' Skenes named NL All-Star starting pitcher
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie right-hander Paul Skenes was named the starting pitcher for the National League All-Star team.
Your NL #AllStarGame starting pitcher: Paul Skenes ⭐
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2024
As announced on the @DPShow, the @Pirates rookie gets the nod in his first All-Star Game! pic.twitter.com/M9QFgH5s1O
The news comes on the heels of Skenes dominating the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. He was removed from a no-hit bid with 11 strikeouts and one walk over seven innings.
With 11 career MLB starts, it's the fewest games any All-Star has ever played, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.
The 22-year-old is also the sixth-youngest pitcher to ever start the exhibition contest.
| Pitcher | Year | Age (Year.Days) |
|---|---|---|
| Jerry Walker | 1959 | 20.172 |
| Fernando Valenzuela | 1981 | 20.281 |
| Dwight Gooden | 1986 | 21.241 |
| Mark Fidrych | 1976 | 21.334 |
| Vida Blue | 1971 | 21.350 |
| Skenes | 2024 | 22.048* |
* Skenes' age when game begins on Tuesday
Skenes, who was drafted first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft just over one year ago, is also only the fifth rookie to be named an All-Star Game starting pitcher. He joins Fidrych and Valenzuela, as well as Dave Stenhouse and Hideo Nomo.
Skenes made his MLB debut in May and has been remarkable ever since, authoring a 1.90 ERA and 2.58 FIP over 66 1/3 innings.
Now, the rising star is ready to face the best the AL has to offer.
"I'm guessing it's gonna be (Gunnar) Henderson, (Juan) Soto, and (Aaron) Judge," he told "The Dan Patrick Show" on Friday. "They're all pretty dang good players so I'll be focused on getting them out by one by one."
The Midsummer Classic is scheduled for Tuesday, July 16 at 8 p.m. ET at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.