MLB history was made during the top of the first inning of Monday's game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals—and it happened in an unusual way.
Pirates ace Paul Skenes delivered a bouncer in the dirt that ricocheted off of catcher Endy Rodriguez's finger. Rodriguez, in pain, then exited the game due to an apparent injury, which resulted in the Pirates replacing the backstop with Henry Davis.
The Skenes-Davis battery represented a first in the history of MLB, as the two Pirates players are the first-ever battery of No. 1 draft picks, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs.
Skenes, the top pick in the 2023 MLB draft, burst onto the scene this past season en route to winning the National League Rookie of the Year award with one of the greatest inaugural campaigns for a first-year pitcher. Meanwhile, Davis, the first overall pick in the '21 draft, has had two short stints in the majors entering this season. He was called up from the minors on Sunday as fellow backstop Joey Bart deals with back discomfort.
And on Monday, the two combined to make some cool history.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pirates' Paul Skenes, Henry Davis Made MLB History After Defensive Substitution.
