Pirates All-Star Paul Skenes Facing Loaded AL Lineup

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes will start for the National League in the All-Star Game, facing an impressive lineup from the American League.

Skenes will start off the 2025 All-Star Game at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, marking his second season in the MLB doing so. He will become the only pitcher ever that started both All-Star games in his first two MLB level and just one of five players ever.

He excelled as a rookie in 2024, allowing just one walk and getting three groundouts for a scoreless outing. This included Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson and New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, while walking then Yankees outfielder Juan Soto.

Skenes was the first Pirates pitcher that started for the NL since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975 and also the first rookie since Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995.

The 2025 edition will feature a great AL lineup, one that will challenge even a great pitcher like Skenes.

Detroit Tigers duo in second baseman Gleyber Torres and left fielder Riley Greene hit first and second, respectively for the AL.

Skenes faced both batters earlier this season in the second game of a doubleheader at Comerica Park on June 19. He struckout Torres and Greene in their first at-bats and then forced Torres into a double play in his second at-bat.

Greene singled off Skenes in the bottom of the fourth inning, but nothing came of it. Torres did come through for the Tigers, with a two-out double in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring two runs and cutting the deficit to 4-2.

Skenes struckout Greene and allowed a walk over four appearances against him in their first meeting, a 10-2 win on May 29, 2024, also in the second game of a double header at Comerica Park.

He faced Judge again last season on Sept. 28, 2024 at Yankees Stadium, striking him out in the only at-bat of the game, as Skenes went just two innings for his final start of his NL Rookie of the Year campaign.

Greene makes it back-to-back seasons as an All-Star and has had a sensational season for the Tigers, ranking tied for third in the MLB with 78 RBIs, tied for eighth with 24 home runs, 11th with 104 hits and a .544 slugging percentage, 15th with a .879 OPS and tied for 22nd with 21 doubles.

Torres makes this his third All-Star appearance, first since 2019 and first with the Tigers after spending the past seven seasons with the Yankees.

He has slashed .281/.387/.425 for an OPS of .812 in 84 games with Detroit, with the sixth best on-base percentage in the MLB and tied for 15th with 51 walks.

Judge is dominating once again, with his seventh total All-Star appearance and fifth straight, coming off his second AL MVP and leading the AL in home runs.

He leads the MLB in batting average (.355), on-base percentage (.462), slugging percentage (.733), OPS (1.135). He also ranks first in hits (125), second in home runs (35), runs (85) and RBIs (81), third in walks (69) and tied for eighth in doubles (24).

The rest of the AL lineup features some great talent, with Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh batting fourth, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladmir Guerrero Jr. batting fifth, Orioles designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn batting sixth, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero batting seventh, Tigers shortstop Javier Baéz batting third and Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, son of former Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, batting ninth.

Tigers left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal will start for the AL, going up against Skenes and pitting the two best pitchers in baseball against each other.