Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes burst onto the scene in 2024, quickly becoming one of the best pitchers in baseball upon his midseason call up to the big leagues from the minors.
Skenes, who was widely regarded as a can't-miss prospect, proved to be every bit of the pltcher the scouts were imagining he would be when he arrived to Pittsburgh's big league club. Skenes won National League Rookie of the Year, started the MLB All-Star Game for the National League and was named a finalist for the Cy Young Award after posting an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts over 133.0 innings pitched.
Skenes also became a bit of a meme on social media thanks to his deadpan reaction to news that he was the National League Rookie of the Year. Skenes, who was staring dead into the camera, didn't have much of a reaction while his girlfriend Livvy Dunne reacted with excitement.
Skenes cleared up the viral moment in an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers.
"Yeah I think people mistook the facial expressions and all that for indifference. I would say it was composure for sure," Skenes said with a smile.
Skenes will be on the cover of MLB The Show 25 when the video game hits stores in March, and is certainly in for a big second season as he enters 2025 as one of the best pitchers in baseball.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paul Skenes Provides Explanation for Deadpan Facial Expression That Became a Meme .
