Paul Skenes picked up right where he left off.
On Opening Day, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace opened his first start of the 2025 season looking as dominant as he did in 2024.
In the bottom of the first inning, Skenes faced Miami Marlins leadoff hitter Xavier Edwards and an eight-pitch battle ensued. After falling behind 0-2, Edwards fouled off three pitches, then took two balls to even the count at 2-2. That's when Skenes broke out an utterly devastating changeup to put Edwards away.
First strikeout of 2025 for Paul Skenes 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/8RnOzvucF1
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 27, 2025
That's a 90-mph changeup with a ton of movement. It finished off an at-bat in which Skenes offered up multiple fastballs hitting 99 mph. Through the first two innings of the game, Skenes has four strikeouts.
The 22-year-old is poised to compete for the National League Cy Young award this season after earning an All-Star game start in 2024 and winning NL Rookie of the Year. Last season, Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP and 170 strikeouts against 32 walks in 133 innings.
There's no reason to believe he won't be similarly dominant this season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paul Skenes Opened 2025 Season With a Strikeout on a Devastating Pitch.
