Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at Busch Stadium on June 11. Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Skenes Does Something Only Done Twice in Last 123 Years of Baseball History

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | Last updated Jun 12, 2024 9:26 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 as Pirates' right-hander Paul Skenes continued the historic start to his big league career.

Skenes went 6.1 innings on the mound, allowing just five hits. He allowed no runs and no walks while striking out eight. Though he earned a no-decision, Skenes now has a 2.43 ERA and has done something only done one other time in the last 123 years of baseball history.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

45+ strikeouts and 6 or fewer walks in 1st 6 career app (since at least 1901):

2024 Paul Skenes
2014 Masahiro Tanaka

45+ strikeouts and 6 or fewer walks in 1st 6 career app (since at least 1901):

2024 Paul Skenes
2014 Masahiro Tanaka
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 12, 2024

No offense to Tanaka, but it seems even more impressive what Skenes has done considering Tanaka was already a seasoned veteran when he came to the United States after a lengthy career in Japan. Skenes has channeled all the nerves of a young rookie and harnessed them into these thrilling outings.

Through 33.1 big league innings, Skenes has now struck out 46 batters and owns a 0.96 WHIP.

The No. 1 pick in last year's draft out of LSU, Skenes entered this season as the most-hyped pitching prospect in baseball since Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals. The 22-year-old didn't even need a full calendar year to make it to the majors after being drafted.

The Pirates, dead set on improving this year, are hovering around .500 now at 32-34. The Cardinals are 31-34. Pittsburgh is in second in the National League Central while the Cardinals are tied for third/last with the Cubs and Reds.

The two teams will play again on Wednesday night at 7:45 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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