Current:Home > InvestPaul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge. -ProsperityStream Academy
Paul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge.
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:33:28
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! (432)
Related
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- With Manchin deal, talk of Biden's climate emergency declaration may be dead
- Drought is driving elephants closer to people. The consequences can be deadly
- Americans connect extreme heat and climate change to their health, a survey finds
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- It Cosmetics Flash Deal: Get $156 Worth of Products for Just $69
- Data centers, backbone of the digital economy, face water scarcity and climate risk
- A heat wave forecast for Spain and Portugal is fueling wildfire worries
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Your Ultimate Guide to Finding the Best Sunscreen, According to a Dermatologist
Ranking
- Euphoria's Hunter Schafer Says Ex Dominic Fike Cheated on Her Before Breakup
- Alpine avalanche in Italy leaves 7 known dead
- Zombie ice will raise sea levels more than twice as much as previously forecast
- Facing legislative failure, Biden announces incremental climate initiatives
- JoJo Siwa reflects on Candace Cameron Bure feud: 'If I saw her, I would not say hi'
- Pregnant Peta Murgatroyd and Maks Chmerkovskiy Surprise Son With Puppy Ahead of Baby's Arrival
- California is poised to phase out sales of new gas-powered cars
- A Below Deck Sailing Yacht Guest's Toilet Complaint Has Daisy Kelliher Embarrassed and Shocked
Recommendation
Bodycam footage shows high
These Under $50 Jumpsuits Look Much More Expensive Than They Actually Are
What The Climate Package Means For A Warming Planet
The Exact Moment Love Is Blind’s Paul Decided What to Tell Micah at Altar
'Meet me at the gate': Watch as widow scatters husband's ashes, BASE jumps into canyon
This Montana couple built their dream home, only to have it burn down in minutes
Factual climate change reporting can influence Americans positively, but not for long
What is the legacy of burn pits? For some Iraqis, it's a lifetime of problems