Current:Home > InvestPaul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge. -FinanceMind
Paul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge.
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:24:09
Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani exchanged greetings on the baseball field in a manner befitting the hardest-throwing phenom and the greatest two-way talent in the game.
Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie making his fifth career start, blew away Ohtani on three pitches — 101.3, 100.1 and 100.8 mph — that the Los Angeles Dodgers star swung and whiffed at in their first encounter Wednesday night at PNC Park.
But the two-time MVP didn't need more than two tries to welcome Skenes to the big leagues.
Ohtani turned around a 100-mph fastball in the third inning, sending it 415 feet and over the fence in straightaway center field for his 15th home run, showing the rookie that it's not so easy to slip pure heat by the Dodgers DH.
Yet it's one of a precious few mistakes Skenes made in Wednesday's 10-6 triumph, as he picked up his third win in five outings, striking out eight Dodgers in five innings.
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
Oh, Ohtani got him again, singling to right in the fifth to put two runners on in a 7-3 game. But Ohtani's single was sandwiched by Skenes punchouts against the other MVPs in L.A.'s lineup. He caught Mookie Betts looking on a full-count 100-mph fastball on the outside corner, and Freddie Freeman on a 0-2 fastball that dotted the bottom of the zone at 99 mph.
After a Will Smith single loaded the bases, Skenes induced a groundout from Teoscar Hernandez and exited with a 7-3 lead. The Pirates went on to claim their second consecutive win over the NL West-leading Dodgers.
Skenes is still less than a year removed from the Pirates selecting him No. 1 overall from LSU, yet his resume remains nearly spotless. He has 38 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched and a 3.00 ERA, and the Pirates are 4-1 in his starts. He walked just one on Wednesday, bringing his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 38-to-6.
Now, add another bullet point to that list: A split decision against the game's greatest talent.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- What was the Yom Kippur War? Why Saturday surprise attack on Israel is reminiscent of 1973
- Making Solar Energy as Clean as Can Be Means Fitting Square Panels Into the Circular Economy
- How long have humans been in North America? New Mexico footprints are rewriting history.
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Prime Day deals you can't miss: Amazon's October 2023 sale is (almost) here
- UK Supreme Court weighs if it’s lawful for Britain to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda
- The Asian Games wrap up, with China dominating the medal count
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- The US will send a carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean in support of Israel
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- At least 15 people have been killed in floods set off by heavy rains in Cameroon’s capital
- Sister Wives' Christine Brown Says She's So Blessed After Wedding to David Woolley
- Powerball jackpot reaches a staggering $1.4 billion. See winning numbers for Oct. 7.
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Powerful earthquakes kill at least 2,000 in Afghanistan
- Fantasy football rankings for Week 5: Bye week blues begin
- Hamas attack at music festival led to chaos and frantic attempts to escape or hide
Recommendation
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Paris Hilton Shares Update on Her and Carter Reum's Future Family Plans
Helicopter crashes shortly after takeoff in New Hampshire, killing the pilot
‘Without water, there is no life’: Drought in Brazil’s Amazon is sharpening fears for the future
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
Parked semi-trucks pose a danger to drivers. Now, there's a push for change.
Man arrested in Germany after the body of his young daughter was thrown into a canal
Georgia officers say suspect tried to run over deputy before he was shot in arm and run off the road