Current:Home > InvestPaul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge. -Wealth Axis Pro
Paul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge.
View
Date:2025-04-18 00:56:16
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! (698)
Related
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Undefeated No. 3 Buckeyes and No. 7 Nittany Lions clash in toughest test yet for Big Ten East rivals
- Company bosses and workers grapple with the fallout of speaking up about the Israel-Hamas war
- Canada recalls 41 of its diplomats from India amid escalating spat over Sikh slaying
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Chancellor Scholz voices outrage at antisemitic agitation in Germany ‘of all places’
- Phoenix Mercury owner can learn a lot from Mark Davis about what it means to truly respect the WNBA
- Craig Kimbrel melts down as Diamondbacks rally to beat Phillies, even up NLCS
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Man searching carrot field finds ancient gold and bronze jewelry — and multiple teeth
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Swiss elect their parliament on Sunday with worries about environment and migration high in minds
- Hurricane Norma takes aim at Mexico’s Los Cabos resorts, as Tammy threatens islands in the Atlantic
- What’s in a game? ‘Dear England’ probes the nation through the lens of its soccer team
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Venezuela’s opposition is holding primary to pick challenger for Maduro in 2024 presidential rival
- Former MLB pitcher Danny Serafini arrested in connection with 2021 murder case
- Why children of married parents do better, but America is moving the other way
Recommendation
Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
Taylor Swift 'Eras Tour' bodyguard fights in Israel-Hamas war
Sevilla expels fan from stadium for racist behavior during game against Real Madrid
Meryl Streep and Husband Don Gummer Have Been Separated for 6 Years
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
South Korea, US and Japan hold first-ever trilateral aerial exercise in face of North Korean threats
Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Sprawling Conservation Area in Everglades Watershed
Iran sentences 2 journalists for collaborating with US. Both covered Mahsa Amini’s death