PITTSBURGH — Pirates ace Paul Skenes struck out nine in six solid innings in a win Monday to raise his strikeout total for the year to 151, a franchise record for a rookie.
Skenes (10-2), 22, allowed one run and six hits in a 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins, lowering his ERA to 2.10. The 6-foot-6 right-hander's fastball topped 100 mph six times. He became the fourth rookie to reach 150 strikeouts in 20 starts or fewer, joining Kerry Wood, Dwight Gooden and Mark Prior.
In 1935, Cy Blanton previously held the record for most strikeouts by a Pirates rookie.
“I think that's because of the quality of his stuff,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “This kid has an elite stuff and he's going to strike out a lot of hitters throughout his career.”
While Skenes wasn't particularly efficient (he needed 98 pitches to record 18 outs and retired Miami in order just once), he was able to avoid major problems to bolster his candidacy for NL Rookie of the Year.
Skenes' rapid rise has been one of the bright spots for the Pirates, who saw their postseason hopes die during a miserable August.
While the team around him has struggled, Skenes has soldiered on. Though his velocity has dipped a bit since his electrifying debut, he's begun to lean a bit more on a repertoire that includes a splinker (a mix of a sinker and a splitter), designed to throw hitters off balance. He used a handful of different types of pitches to record a strikeout against Miami.
When he retired Marlins rookie Griffin Conine on a grounder to first to end the sixth inning, the small crowd that gathered at PNC Park in mid-September rose to its feet to praise Skenes in one of his final home starts of the season.
“That's great every time,” Skenes said. “So, yeah, just keep showing up in the games. And hopefully, I mean, the goal is to keep giving them moments like that.”
Pittsburgh has been spacing out Skenes' appearances to help him get through his first full year as a pro without health issues. The Pirates will finish a nine-game homestand with three against the Kansas City Royals over the weekend. Skenes could potentially start the final game.
While Skenes admitted there's “probably a limit” to how many innings he pitches this year (he's logged 147⅓ total innings between Triple-A and the majors), he doesn't think he'll hit it this year. He also believes he's prepared to handle the workload.
“I'm 22 years old. I'm ready to pitch a lot of innings, I think,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
