Paul Skenes owning top of AL All-Star lineup should quiet all unfounded criticism

Just one year since being drafted and two months since making his MLB debut, Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes worked a hitless opening inning in his All-Star Game debut.

He is just the fifth rookie in history to start an MLB All-Star game, but Skenes commanded the mound like a veteran. He relied on his otherworldly four-seam fastball and trademark "splinker" to put together an efficient outing that silenced any doubts that he was, in fact, made for this moment.

The first batter Skenes faced was Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, whose .352 batting average leads the league at the All-Star break. Kwan fouled off a 98-mph fastball, chased a splinker, fouled off another, then popped out to shortstop Trea Turner. One out.

Next up was 2023 NL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson. Skenes threw a 94 mph splinker for a called strike and a 98 mph fastball for a swing and a miss. He then went 99 mph for ball one before Henderson hit a tapper back to Skenes for a 1-3 putout at first base. Two down.

New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto would be Skenes' lone baserunner of the night, but he didn't get there easily. Skenes got Soto with the splinker for strike one, and Soto laid off the next two pitches. He then fouled off twice – first on the splinker, then off a 100-mph four-seamer – and took a curveball for ball three before reaching base on a walk.

Then came the matchup we'd all been waiting for: Skenes vs. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Batting cleanup, Judge made contact with the first pitch he saw – 100 mph over the heart of the plate – but grounded out to third.

Pirates' Paul Skenes owning top of AL All-Star Game lineup should quiet all the unfounded criticism

Perhaps the most surprising part of Skenes' start on the mound was that he didn't strike out a single batter. Skenes is a strikeout artist with 89 in his first 11 starts, and these AL players hadn't seen him yet, so it seemed inevitable that he would register at least one K. He induced some pretty ugly swings and misses, but no punchouts.

Still, it's hard to criticize what was otherwise a masterful performance by Skenes. Batters, beware – this is just the beginning. Think before your criticize next time.

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