Pirates' Paul Skenes may force MLB to adopt automated strike zone all by himself

Paul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates' flame-throwing rookie, has been frustrating opposing batters with his triple-digit fastball and deceptively unique "splinker" ever since he arrived in the Major Leagues in May. But the batters may not be the only ones struggling to figure him out.

In a recent post on X, Umpire Auditor reported that umpires missed 4,683 calls during the month of August, including 281 strikeouts. The post included a compilation video of the 10 worst called strikeouts of the month (ranked by distance outside the strike zone), which is where things get interesting.

Three of the top five worst strikeout calls from the month of August were awarded in favor of Pirates pitchers, and two of those three were awarded to Skenes.

Coming in at No. 5 is a 100 mph four-seam fastball from Skenes to Cincinnati Reds infielder Santiago Espinal, which clocked in at 4.28 inches outside the zone. Then, at No. 1 – at a whopping 5.81 inches outside the strike zone – we have a 99 mph Skenes four-seamer to Reds infielder Amed Rosario. Both calls were made in the same game by umpire Larry Vanover.

Pirates' Paul Skenes may force MLB to adopt automated strike zone all by himself

Now, before anyone starts spouting conspiracy theories about Vanover having a soft spot for Skenes (or a vendetta against the Reds, for that matter), there may be more to it than that. The fourth-worst called strikeout from August belongs to Pirates reliever Kyle Nicolas, whose 97 mph fastball to San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts landed 4.42 inches outside the zone before being called a strike by umpire John Bacon.

Aside from being Pirates teammates, what do Skenes and Nicolas have in common? They're both new to the Major Leagues in the last two seasons – meaning there's not a lot of tape on them yet – and they both throw hard, with plenty of movement on their pitches. Batters are struggling to hit them, and umpires are struggling to see them.

While these missed calls will undoubtedly be added to the ever-growing list of arguments in support of an automated ball-strike system in Major League Baseball, perhaps they should also serve as a reminder of just how rare Skenes' talent is. He is now just one strikeout away from setting a new Pirates franchise record for strikeouts by a rookie, and every time he toes the rubber, we are witnessing history.

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