NEW YORK (AP) — In a stellar debut at Yankee Stadium, Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes concluded a remarkable rookie season by retiring all six batters he faced, including strikeouts against New York superstars Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.
The 22-year-old right-hander has emerged as a leading candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year award, finishing his debut season with an impressive record of 11 wins and 3 losses, accompanied by a 1.96 ERA over 23 starts spanning 133 innings. Notably, he fell just 29 innings short of qualifying for the National League ERA title, but he managed to rack up an impressive 170 strikeouts while issuing only 32 walks.
Skenes now holds the distinction of having the second-lowest ERA for a rookie with at least 20 starts since the official ERA statistic was introduced in both leagues in 1913, with only Reb Russell’s 1.90 for the Chicago White Sox in 1913 edging him out.
On Saturday, with his girlfriend, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, watching from the stands, Skenes showcased his incredible talent by throwing four pitches that exceeded 100 mph. He finished the season with a total of 100 pitches at that speed, far outpacing Los Angeles Angels pitcher José Soriano, who is second among starters with just 40 such pitches.
Skenes displayed his skills with a fastball clocked at 99.8 mph, which Soto took for a called third strike on the outside corner. Judge, on the other hand, struck out swinging at a sweeping pitch that was outside the strike zone.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone remarked on Skenes’ standout year before the game, stating, “He’s been one of the big stories in major league baseball this year. First pick, doesn’t break camp, and ends up starting in the All-Star game. He’s obviously had a phenomenal year. Our guys are looking forward to facing a player who’s really taken the league by storm and emerged as one of the game’s outstanding starters.”
In terms of pitching precision, Skenes threw 17 out of 23 pitches for strikes, including 12 four-seam fastballs that averaged an astounding 99.4 mph.
Another strong contender for the Rookie of the Year award is San Diego’s Jackson Merrill, who came into Saturday’s game with an impressive .292 batting average, alongside 24 home runs, 90 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases.
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