Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes is off to one of the greatest rookie starts in MLB history and he's being rewarded because of it.
Skenes, it was revealed, will start for the National League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday at Arlington, Texas.
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo — who is also managing the NL — called into the Dan Patrick Show to inform Skenes when Skenes was being interviewed.
"Paul, first of all, how are you doing? I just wanted to congratulate you. I've chosen you to be the starter for the National League in the 2024 All-Star Game," Lovullo said. "I'm really, really excited for you. Unbelievable honor. So well deserved. We're super excited to make this announcement.
"You represent so many great things that this game craves. It's such a great story. The way you've come on the scene, the way you've done it with such humbleness, it's noticeable. I'll be honored to be your manager. I'll be honored to see you throw your first pitch."
Patrick then jokingly asked Luvolla if Skenes would be on a pitch count.
"We'll see what's going on there. We've got 11 guys to get there. Paul's going to throw up a big zero in the first inning for us and we'll take it from there," Lovullo responded.
Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, has been utterly dominant thus far. The latest example came in the Pirates' 1-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, as he threw seven no-hit innings and struck out 11 batters. Sixty-five of his 99 pitches were strikes. Along with all that, the All-Star righty walked just one. His ERA now sits at 1.90.
The former LSU star has permitted two runs or fewer in nine of his 11 major league starts. He now sits at 6-0.
"I don't think anybody thinks that when you come to the big leagues, it's going to be like this," Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said.
