MILWAUKEE – Paul Skenes didn’t have much problem tearing through the Major Leagues en route to the 2025 National League Cy Young Award.
Well, there was one: The Brewers. Milwaukee forced MLB’s ERA leader last season (1.97) out of the game by the fifth inning on two separate occasions at American Family Field -- getting four runs off the Pirates’ ace each time.
On Friday night in enemy territory, Skenes made sure he was the problem.
The 23-year-old righty flirted with Major League history, setting down the first 20 batters until a Jake Bauers ground ball single in the Pirates’ 6-0 win against the Brewers in a game in which Konnor Griffin crushed his first career home run. Skenes immediately retired Tyler Black after allowing his first baserunner, but he did not return for the eighth at 93 pitches (62 strikes).
But for much of Friday night, it felt like Skenes’ race towards perfection wouldn’t be stopped. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft had been ascending toward this moment since he burst onto the big league scene with some of the most electric stuff in baseball.
That was on full display against the Brewers, perfect game or not.
It wasn’t until the sixth inning that Milwaukee hit a ball out of the infield. Skenes struck out seven and allowed just four hard-hit balls (95-plus mph), all of which came in the sixth or seventh inning.
This is starting to become normal for Skenes, who entered Friday with a 1.27 ERA over his past four starts. Skenes’ 2.01 ERA through his first 61 Major League starts is the lowest by any pitcher through his first 60 starts during the Live Ball Era (since 1920).
The righty’s outing helped the Pirates (15-11) secure a win in the opener against the Brewers (13-12) in an important early season NL Central showdown, the first of 10 straight games for Pittsburgh against division opponents.