Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes to start All-Star Game for NL after just 11 major league starts

By DAVID BRANDT The Associated Press

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes throws during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, July 11, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Kayla Wolf]

PHOENIX (AP) — Making Paul Skenes the All-Star Game starting pitcher for the National League after just 11 career appearances was a difficult decision for Arizona manager Torey Lovullo, but one he felt was correct.

The positive vibes he received following Friday’s announcement only made the manager more confident.

“I think I got it right,” Lovullo said.

Skenes will become the fifth rookie pitcher given that honor when he takes the mound on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas. Lovullo, who will lead the NL team, made the announcement earlier Friday on SiriusXM MLB Network Radio.

“It’s really cool,” Skenes said in Chicago. “There are a lot of really good pitchers who are just as deserving. To even be in the conversation is really cool. To be named the starter is surreal.”

A 21-year-old right-hander, Skenes was selected by Pittsburgh with the top pick in last year’s amateur draft. He made his major league debut on May 11 and is 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA, striking out 89 and walking 13 in 66 1/3 innings.

“I think he’s everything right about this game,” Lovullo said on Friday at Chase Field. “It’s a game of opportunity and he’s clearly taken advantage of the time he’s had here. His wins above replacement are as high as anybody and that’s something I looked at.”

Lovullo said he spent four or five days making the decision, asking several friends around the game for opinions. He also asked players in the Diamondbacks clubhouse what they thought.

“I felt like if I took the temperature of our clubhouse, it would be pretty close to the temperature of other clubhouses,” Lovullo said. “And the temperature of our clubhouse was ‘The guy is really good.’”

He’s also fun to watch, whipping fastballs past batters at a phenomenal rate.

His first inning in the All-Star Game should be must-see TV. The American League lineup likely will include some combination of Gunnar Henderson, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, three of the game’s top sluggers.

“I hadn’t thought a lot about the All-Star Game,” Skenes said. “Now I know I’m going to pitch and have a rough idea of what the lineup might be.”

Skenes has thrown 75 pitches of 100 mph or more and his 99.1 mph average four-seam fastball velocity tops the major leagues among those with 1,000 or more pitches. He pitched seven no-hit innings at Milwaukee on Thursday and was removed after 99 pitches.

“A few really, really good candidates dropped off due to injury or the fact they were pitching on Sunday,” Lovullo said. “The answer just became more and more clear. And then certainly what Paul did yesterday, really, really hammered down the thought that he should be the guy.”

Dave Stenhouse (1962), Mark Fidrych (1976), Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Hideo Nomo (1995) are the other rookies to start an All-Star game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Skenes’ 11 career major league games will be the fewest for a player appearing in an All-Star Game, according to Elias. Fidrych and Nomo each had 13.

Skenes will be Pittsburgh’s first pitcher to start an All-Star Game since 1975, when Jerry Reuss pitched three scoreless innings.

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AP freelance writer Scott Held in Chicago contributed to this report.

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