Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skins (22) has achieved his 10th win in this season after 20 games since his debut. He also lowered his earned run average to 2.10, aiming at the one-score range.
Skins led Pittsburgh to a 3-2 victory with six innings of six hits, one walk, nine strikeouts and one run in a home game against the Miami Marlins in 2024 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the 10th (Korea Standard Time).
With four consecutive wins, Skinny’s earned run average (ERA) has decreased from 2.13 to 2.10 by securing his 10th win (two losses) this season. He also increased his strikeouts to 151, setting a new record for the Pittsburgh Pirates, surpassing Blanton (142) in 1935.
According to MLB.com , only four pitchers – Kerry Wood (179), Hideo Nomo (175) of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995, Dwight Gooden (162) of the New York Mets (1984), and Mark Pryor (154) of the 2002-2003 Cubs – have struck out more in their first 20 games. “I’ve seen elite pitchers throughout my career, but I can’t remember a player like this since I was a rookie,” Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton said.
Skins, who started off with a shortstop infield hit by Jabier Edwards in the top of the first inning, struck out Connor Novi with a foul tip and ended the first inning by inducing Jake Berger to play a double play to shortstop. Skins, who had two hits in the top of the second inning but struck out two to prevent a run without a run, had a defensive error in the top of the third inning but was out with the remaining three batters, including one strikeout.
He allowed his first run in the top of the fourth inning due to Jesus Sanchez’s double to the left and Otto Lopez’s timely hit to the right, but struck out all three of his out-counts. Skins, who showed his crisis management ability by leading Novi to a double play on the third base in the top of the fifth inning with no outs and runners on the first and second bases, finished the game with three strikeouts in the top of the sixth inning.
With a total of 98 pitches, he pitched 67 strikes and 31 balls. He evenly played six pitches, including a maximum speed of 100.6 mph (161.9 km), an average speed of 99.3 mph (159.8 km), four-seam fastballs (25), sinker (24), change-up, slider (14), curve (7), and sweeper (4).
Skins, who reigned as the best pitcher at Louisiana State University, debuted in the major leagues at a high speed less than a year after being drafted by Pittsburgh as the No. 1 overall pick in the first round of the draft in June last year. After being called up on May 12, he became a sensation and threw as a starter. He set a new record as the fifth starting pitcher for the All-Star Game, and quickly achieved 10 wins in the season.
Through Tuesday’s 20 games (120 innings), he has had 10 wins and 2 losses with an ERA of 2.10 strikeouts and 151 WHIPs with a batting average of .99 and a batting average of 2040. If he is greedy, he will be able to achieve an ERA of one point range. Four runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 11 seems to be a possibility, as he has been steadily blocking three runs or less in the remaining 19 games due to his personal most lost points.
Chances are high that the Rookie of the Year award of the National League will also be taken up by the Skins. San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill has a batting average of 290 (144 hits in 497 times at bat) in 140 games, 23 homers, 83 RBIs and 16 steals OPS.821, and Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga is active in 26 games (153 ⅓ innings) with 12 wins, 3 losses and 2.99 strikeouts with 155 strikeouts, but it is not easy to break the record and impact of the Skins.
The value of a pitcher’s wins has decreased compared to the past, but it still has symbolic significance. After the game, Skins said, “I’m old-fashioned. 안전놀이터 Victory is important. I think winning or losing is important for pitchers, too. It certainly means a lot to pitchers,” adding, “I’m not tired at all. I don’t feel anything wrong with my physical condition. All I have to do is sprint to finish the season until the end of the season.”
