The Pittsburgh Pirates' young pitching phenom, Paul Skenes, has been riding a high tide of accomplishments since his MLB debut and has the chance to make franchise history. According to an announcement last night, Skenes has been named a finalist for the National League Cy Young Award and the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award.
According to Sports Illustrated, the Pirates have not had a Rookie of the Year since outfielder Jason Bay won it back in 2004, and Skenes could potentially be the first pitcher in their ranks to snag the award. He's in the running to become only the third Pirate to win the NL Cy Young, hoping to join an elite group including Vern Law (1960) and Doug Drabek (1990). Skenes boasts an impressive rookie season record of 11-3, alongside a 1.96 ERA and a history-making 170 strikeouts over 133 innings pitched.
"He’s doing things no one has ever done," said Pirates manager Derek Shelton, reflecting on Skenes' performance, in an interview as per WPXI. Skenes' stats include six outings where he pitched at least five innings and allowed no runs and two starts where he exited the game having not allowed a single hit.
The accolades don't just stop at his win-loss record or ERA; Skenes also managed to innovatively blend pitches, creating a 'splinker' that helped him carve out his place in the history books as one of the most anticipated rookie pitchers to grace the mound. His awe-inspiring All-Star Game start marked him as the first rookie to do so in nearly three decades. According to Sports Illustrated, no rookie has achieved an ERA below 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts in their first 21 games before Skenes broke through this season.
The winners of the MLB end-of-season awards are soon to be announced. The Rookie of the Year winner will be revealed on November 18, and the Cy Young Award victor will be revealed on November 20, each unveiling at 6 p.m. local time.
