Current:Home > InvestPaul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge. -MacroWatch
Paul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge.
View
Date:2025-04-13 14:38:46
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! (6247)
Related
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- What's next for the abortion pill mifepristone?
- ICN’s ‘Harvesting Peril’ Wins Prestigious Oakes Award for Environmental Journalism
- Today's election could weaken conservatives' long-held advantage in Wisconsin
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Aerie's Clearance Section Has 76% Off Deals on Swimwear, Leggings, Tops & More
- Mormon crickets plague parts of Nevada and Idaho: It just makes your skin crawl
- Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes Run Half Marathon Together After Being Replaced on GMA3
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Check Out the Most Surprising Celeb Transformations of the Week
Ranking
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Shootings on Juneteenth weekend leave at least 12 dead, more than 100 injured
- How A New Majority On Wisconsin's Supreme Court Could Impact Reproductive Health
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar calls Texas judge's abortion pill ruling 'shocking'
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Biden administration says fentanyl-xylazine cocktail is a deadly national threat
- Daniel Day-Lewis Looks Unrecognizable in First Public Sighting in 4 Years
- This Week in Clean Economy: NYC Takes the Red Tape Out of Building Green
Recommendation
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
What we know about the Indiana industrial fire that's forced residents to evacuate
Ulta 24-Hour Flash Deal: Save 50% On the L’Ange Rotating Curling Iron That Does All the Work for You
Remember When Pippa Middleton Had a Wedding Fit for a Princess?
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Alana Honey Boo Boo Thompson Graduates From High School and Mama June Couldn't Be Prouder
Don’t Miss This $65 Deal on $142 Worth of Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Skincare Products
Don’t Miss This $65 Deal on $142 Worth of Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Skincare Products