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Paul Skenes Makes Dodgers Announcement After Shutting Team Down

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By TJ French | Last updated Apr 28, 2025 6:00 PM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes is having no sophomore slump. After having one of the best rookie seasons out of any starting pitcher ever, the 22-year-old face of MLB is no stranger to the spotlight. Skenes' latest victim was the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend.

On Friday, Skenes showed why he is one of, if not the best, starter in the game by shoving against the Dodgers' vaunted lineup. He recorded 6.1 scoreless innings, giving up just five hits, striking out nine, and lowering his ERA to 2.39 in 2025.

Skenes is a native of southern California, and following his stellar outing against the Dodgers, he shared this sentiment:

"I was playing for free tonight,” said Skenes. “It was fun. I'll go up there and see them here in a minute. Today, actually, was kind of a family get-together. It was all my mom's brothers, my dad's brother and their families are all here, which is cool. It hasn't happened for a while, so cool to be able to share that with them.”

Dating back to his college days at Louisiana State University, Skenes has always had a knack for elevating his level of play when the lights are on, and in Dodger Stadium, the lights certainly are bright. However, this didn't faze Skenes at all.

Los Angeles ended up taking two of three from the Pirates, but Skenes did not disappoint as he continues to show the baseball world he will be a force to reckon with for years to come. Skenes has given up just three runs in 19.1 innings in his last three starts.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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