Pirates' Paul Skenes admits he discovered his career-changing 'splinker' by accident

Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star Paul Skenes throws a triple-digit fastball and a devastating slider, but the hybrid "splinker" has become the rookie right-hander's calling card. It's arguably his best pitch, baffling hitters throughout baseball – and he discovered it completely by accident.

In a recent appearance on MLB Central, MLB Network's flagship program, Skenes revealed how his best and most unique pitch came to be. The flame-throwing righty had been working on developing his sinker while in college at LSU, but it never quite became the pitch he wanted it to be. After leading LSU to a College World Series title, he was shut down from throwing until the Pirates selected him at No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Once Skenes got to spring training, he began to ramp up his throwing program again. One day, he was practicing his sinker while playing catch, and the ball "accidentally" came off his index finger instead of his middle finger. He noticed that it felt and moved differently.

"I was basically like, ‘Well, that was good, so I’m going to keep trying to do that,’" he said. "And it stuck."

Paul Skenes' 'splinker' may have been a happy accident, but his success with the Pirates has not

Skenes was adamant, however, that he did not simply stumble upon greatness in his baseball career. He has lived up to his billing as a top overall pick ever since his MLB debut in May, pitching to a 10-2 record with a 2.10 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 151 strikeouts over 120 innings, even earning the starting nod for the National League at the 2024 MLB All-Star Game. Skenes said there was no "switch that magically flipped" when he got to the Major Leagues, and that he views his success as a product of hard work and dedication to his craft.

"I think people should understand, it’s a product of being around really good people, really good teammates and coaches, and putting in the work over the course of a couple years," he said. "You do that enough, stuff starts to go right.”

Plenty of stuff has gone right for Skenes in his debut season. Even despite the Pirates falling out of playoff contention, he is still very much in the mix for the National League Rookie of the Year award. Plus, he's only 22, so Pirates fans have a lot to look forward to over the next few years as he continues to cement himself as one of the faces of baseball.

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