Current:Home > InvestPaul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge. -OceanicInvest
Paul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge.
View
Date:2025-04-12 21:02:03
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! (362)
Related
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Workers are paying 7% more this year for employer-sponsored health insurance
- Ex-official who pleaded guilty to lying to feds in nuclear project failure probe gets home detention
- Fracas in courtroom when family of slain girl's killer tries to attack him after he pleads guilty
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Poland’s opposition parties open talks on a ruling coalition after winning the general election
- Nearly 200 bodies removed from Colorado funeral home accused of improperly storing bodies
- More arrests to be announced in shooting that killed a Philadelphia police officer, authorities say
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- Cruise ship explosion in Maine burns employee, prompts passenger evacuations
Ranking
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Rep. Jim Jordan again facing scrutiny for OSU scandal amid House speaker battle
- Racial gaps in math have grown. A school tried closing theirs by teaching all kids the same classes
- Sophia Bush's Ex Grant Hughes Supportive of Her Amid Ashlyn Harris Relationship
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- What is hydrogen energy, and is it a key to fighting climate change?
- 3 children killed in New Orleans house fire allegedly set by their father: Police
- Biden tells Israel, You're not alone; says military data show Gaza militants to blame for hospital explosion
Recommendation
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Far-right influencer sentenced to 7 months in 2016 voter suppression scheme
Fear, frustration for Israeli family as 7 believed to be held by Hamas
From hospital, to shelter, to deadly inferno: Fleeing Palestinians lose another sanctuary in Gaza
Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
Mother of Israeli hostage Mia Shem on Hamas video: I see the pain
Twitter influencer sentenced for trying to trick Clinton supporters to vote by text
Biden tells Israel, You're not alone; says military data show Gaza militants to blame for hospital explosion