Skenes, Griffin finally unite on MLB stage -- and each has his best game of '26

PITTSBURGH -- Pirates fans should make note of April 7, 2026.

In front of a modest Tuesday night crowd at PNC Park, reigning Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and MLB’s top-ranked prospect Konnor Griffin shared a field for the first time in a regular-season game. Coincidentally, or not, each of the young phenoms had his best game of the season in the Bucs’ 7-1 victory over the Padres.

Skenes fired 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball, allowing just two hits while striking out six and walking two.

It’s hard to believe there was anybody who didn't foresee the right-hander quickly bouncing back from his nightmare Opening Day start. And after flirting with a no-hitter for the bulk of his most recent outing, it’s safe to say he’s back to his old self.

“That was awesome, getting him a win,” Griffin said. “When a guy throws like that, you’ve got to score runs for the man. That was an awesome win. Everybody did their job, and I was glad to be a part of it.”

Skenes struck out the first two batters of his outing as part of a 1-2-3 first inning. He later walked Manny Machado to lead off the second inning, but then retired three straight, including Xander Bogaerts on a strikeout. Skenes struck out two more in the third inning on just 12 pitches, and he made quick work of San Diego’s hitters once again in the fourth and fifth innings. At one point he retired 11 Padres in a row.

Skenes allowed his first hit of the game with one out in the sixth inning, a hard-hit single by Fernando Tatis Jr. straight through the left side of the infield. An inning later, Skenes made his first true mistake of the game, leaving a letter-high fastball to Bogaerts that the Padres infielder hammered into the left-field bleachers -- the first homer surrendered by a Pirates starter this season.

It ended up being the final pitch of Skenes’ outing.

Skenes ultimately was a victim of a predetermined pitch count, as Pirates manager Don Kelly said pregame the 23-year-old wouldn't throw more than 100 pitches as he builds up his workload in preparation for the long season. Skenes’ four-seamer sat consistently around 97 mph, and his control got sharper as the outing progressed, as he needed just 36 pitches to get through innings three through five, and 87 pitches (53 strikes) total.

“I’ve got a front row seat,” Griffin said. “Getting to see him do his thing and just the way he prepares for his starts. Those hitters, it’s almost like they don't have a chance because of how dominant he is. It’s cool to be right behind him.”

Skenes has now allowed just two runs in his past 11 1/3 innings.

For Griffin, Tuesday’s performance seemed to be a heavy weight off of his shoulders. The 19-year-old recorded an RBI double five pitches into his big league career last Friday but had gone cold since, seeing his average dip all the way down to .077 (1-for-13) prior to Tuesday’s game.

Griffin responded in a big way, tallying his first career multihit game, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. He also made a couple of nice defensive plays at shortstop, including assisting with an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play in the sixth to help Skenes prevent a rally.

“I was fired up [to play with him],” Skenes said. “Made a really nice turn there, getting the ball from Nick [Gonzalez] at second. Made a couple good plays. He's a difference-maker for sure.”

It’s the third consecutive game that Griffin has impressed those around him with his glove. He made a diving stop to steal a base hit away in the series finale against Baltimore on Sunday, and he made a similar diving stop to record a forceout at second base on a ball hit up the middle on Monday against San Diego. While Griffin goes through the expected growing pains from facing big league arms on a nightly basis, it’s clear his Gold Glove-caliber defense will be a constant.

“It’s the player that we all know that he is and that he's going to be,” Skenes said. “Sometimes it takes a little bit to kind of break out. So, nice to see today. It’s going to be exciting to watch.

“He’s a big leaguer through and through.”