Paul Skenes took MLB by storm last season as he won 2024 National League Rookie of the Year honors and finished third in Cy Young Award voting.
The 22-year-old is back in his native Southern California this week as the Pittsburgh Pirates face the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers on the road.
Skenes is scheduled to pitch at Dodger Stadium on Friday and expects to have many family members and friends in attendance, via ESPN’s Alden González:
Paul Skenes set aside just two tickets for the Angels series, for his mom and his dad. Bur when he starts in LA on Friday, he said, “It’s going to be a zoo.”
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) April 23, 2025
Skenes made two starts against the Dodgers last season, including one at Dodger Stadium, and allowed a combined seven runs in 11 innings of work. However, he posted an efficient 16-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in those two outings.
Skenes took only the second loss of his career at Dodger Stadium but nevertheless enjoyed pitching in the ballpark.
The right-hander is off to another excellent start this season despite the Pirates playing poorly to begin the 2025 season. Through five starts, he is 2-2 with 2.87 ERA, 2.00 FIP and 0.80 WHIP in 31.1 innings pitched.
Mookie Betts: Paul Skenes toughest pitcher in baseball
It hasn’t even been a full year since Skenes made his MLB debut, but several players already consider him one of the most difficult pitchers to face.
“Man, there’s so many. I’ll say Paul Skenes,” Mookie Betts recently said when asked who is the toughest pitcher to face.
Betts went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts against Skenes in their first matchup last season and wasn’t in the Dodgers lineup when they faced him a second time due to recovering from a left hand fracture.
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