Paul Skenes may have given Pirates division rival valuable information after interview

National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes is so good, he no-hit his own team. Well, sort of.

In a recent interview on the red carpet at the 2024 All-MLB Awards in Las Vegas, the Pittsburgh Pirates flamethrower shared a humorous anecdote about how lending a helping hand to a fellow rookie pitcher ironically came back to bite him.

Before a game between the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in August, Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga approached Skenes and asked him for advice about a particular pitch grip. Skenes, of course, was happy to oblige.

"I regret this one a little bit," Skenes said. "Shota came up to me when we were in Pittsburgh and he asked me how I held my fastball. And not my sinker. And so I was like, 'Yeah, here you go dude, like, whatever, check it out.' "

But what seemed like a harmless exchange of information between two colleagues wanting to learn more about the tools of the trade may have cost Skenes' Pirates a win. Just one week later, Imanaga pitched seven no-hit innings against the Pirates at Wrigley Field before handing the reins over to the Cubs' bullpen to finish the job in what ended up being a 5-0 shutout.

Paul Skenes' attempt at good sportsmanship results in Shota Imanaga no-hitting Pirates

Skenes went on to say that he didn't know whether Imanaga was using the grip he showed him for his fastball during the combined no-hitter the following week, or if it was pure coincidence. Imanaga, for his part, acknowledged in hindsight that his conversation with Skenes may have given him the competitive edge he needed.

"Maybe looking back ... The reason I had a good game was maybe that talk we had," Imanaga said through his interpreter Edwin Stanberry.

In the words of the late Heath Ledger playing The Joker in the 2008 film The Dark Knight, "if you're good at something, never do it for free." It's safe to say Skenes probably won't be doling out any more free pitching advice anytime soon.

More Pirates content from Rum Bunter