Current:Home > InvestPaul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge. -WealthPro Academy
Paul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge.
View
Date:2025-04-13 20:54:53
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! (88)
Related
- Former Milwaukee hotel workers charged with murder after video shows them holding down Black man
- Chiefs trade deadline targets: Travis Etienne, Jonathan Jones, best fits for Kansas City
- Grimes Trolls Ex Elon Musk With Comment About Dating Guys Interested in Outer Space
- Surfer bit by shark off Hawaii coast, part of leg severed in attack
- Residents in Alaska capital clean up swamped homes after an ice dam burst and unleashed a flood
- Chris Martin falls through stage at Coldplay tour concert in Australia: See video
- Americans say they're spending less, delaying big purchases until after election
- North Carolina attorney general’s race features 2 members of Congress
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Ohio State passes Georgia for No. 2 spot in college football's NCAA Re-Rank 1-134
Ranking
- Big Lots store closures could exceed 300 nationwide, discount chain reveals in filing
- This is how precincts in Pennsylvania handle unexpected issues on Election Day
- Ariana Grande Reveals Why She Chose to Use Her Real Name in Wicked Credits
- Grimes Trolls Ex Elon Musk With Comment About Dating Guys Interested in Outer Space
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Kieran Culkin Shares Why Death of Sister Dakota Culkin Was Like “Losing A Big Piece” of Himself
- James Van Der Beek's Wife Kimberly Speaks Out After He Shares Cancer Diagnosis
- As NFL trade deadline nears, Ravens' need for pass rusher is still glaring
Recommendation
Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
When is the NFL trade deadline? Date, time, top trade candidates and deals done so far
Who's hosting 'SNL' after the election? Cast, musical guest, how to watch Nov. 9 episode
Dawn Staley is more than South Carolina's women's basketball coach. She's a transcendent star.
Michigan lawmaker who was arrested in June loses reelection bid in Republican primary
California sues LA suburb for temporary ban of homeless shelters
Psychotropic Medications and High Heat Don’t Mix
Kieran Culkin Shares Why Death of Sister Dakota Culkin Was Like “Losing A Big Piece” of Himself