Pieces are falling in place for Pirates phenom Paul Skenes to be NL's All-Star starter

It’s Paul Skenes' world, and we’re just living in it.

The Pirates’ rookie phenom has taken the baseball world by storm this season and become must-see viewing every time he takes the hill for Pittsburgh. On Thursday, Skenes capped off his stellar first half with a masterful performance against the Milwaukee Brewers, tossing seven no-hit innings and tying a season high with 11 strikeouts and only one walk.

Skenes dazzled through six innings, carving up a Milwaukee lineup that is currently top-10 in runs scored. A six-pitch seventh inning, capped by a wild, over-the-shoulder catch by second baseman Nick Gonzales, was Skenes’ last, as manager Derek Shelton decided to remove the right-hander from the game.

The no-hitter was immediately broken up in the eighth inning, when reliever Colin Holderman gave up a leadoff single to Jake Bauers. But no damage was done, as the Pirates won 1-0. Following the win, Skenes joined Lauren Gardner, Xavier Scruggs and me on MLB Network’s "Off Base" to discuss his electric performance.

“I wasn't gonna be surprised either way,” Skenes said of Shelton’s decision to remove him from the game at 99 pitches. “Obviously, in a 1-0 game, you want to stay in there. You want to finish it. But you know, the volume is getting up there a little bit. So I get it.”

It was the second time this season that Skenes has left an outing with a no-hitter intact. The other came in his second career start against the Chicago Cubs on May 17. He’s now 6-0 with an eye-popping 1.90 ERA and has a quality start in his past six outings and nine of 11 starts this season.

It has been incredible to watch the Pirates’ young fireballer over the past year because he’s doing unheard of things. In that time, Skenes won the College World Series with LSU and was named CWS Most Outstanding Player. He won the National Pitcher of the Year Award and the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the country’s best college player.

And not only was he selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft but he also made it to the big leagues the next season and has dominated, becoming an All-Star in his rookie season.

Anytime a rookie makes an All-Star Game, there’s conversation about whether he’s deserving. But there’s no mistaking why last year’s No. 1 pick deserves to be in Arlington next week. In fact, Skenes’ masterful performance against Milwaukee apparently was enough to seal his case to start the All-Star Game for manager Torey Lovullo and the National League, which was announced Friday morning.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only four previous rookie starters have gotten the opportunity to start for their respective league in an All-Star Game, the most recent being Hideo Nomo for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995. The list also includes fellow Dodger Fernando Valenzuela in 1981, Mark Fidrych of the Detroit Tigers in '76 and Dave Stenhouse of the Washington Senators in '62.

“I'm not gonna say no to starting it,” Skenes said Thursday. “That'd be pretty dang cool. I haven't thought about it a whole lot. I don't know exactly who's lined up to pitch [that day] with the other guys in the league. And it'd be a really cool experience. Super humbling to be able to start it, for sure.”

Things had been falling in Skenes' favor as it became increasingly likely that he would get the start. Braves ace Chris Sale is starting for Atlanta on Sunday and will not be available to pitch in the All-Star Game, and the Phillies' Zack Wheeler was scratched from his start Sunday, as he's dealing with lower back issues. Phillies starter Ranger Suarez was also a candidate to start the game. But the nod will go to Skenes, who will be pitching on normal rest Tuesday.

There was a lot of pressure on Skenes when he was taken first in the draft and even more when he made his MLB debut less than a year later. Despite all of that, he’s continuing to exceed expectations. What the 22-year-old right-hander has accomplished this season is remarkable, and his seven innings of no-hit ball on Thursday were the perfect bookend to an All-Star-worthy first half.