Wednesday night at PNC Park featured a highly anticipated showdown between phenoms Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it more than delivered.
In just his fifth career start, Paul Skenes faced the NL West-leading Dodgers. He began dominantly, striking out Mookie Betts on four pitches.
When he faced Shohei Ohtani next, the encounter can only be described as explosive.
Blow-by-blow of Ohtani vs. Skenes
The rookie Skenes fired three lasers at the two-way sensation Ohtani. The first pitch was a 101.3 mph swinging strike, followed by a 100.1 mph swinging strike with a foul tip, and finally, a 100.8 mph swinging strike. It's rare to see Ohtani look as overmatched as he did in this face-off.
The Pirates’ first-overall pick proceeded to retire Freddie Freeman on a fly ball to end the inning.
The Skenes-Ohtani rematch came in the third inning, with the Pirates leading 7-0 after a disastrous inning for Dodgers starting pitcher James Paxton.
With Mookie Betts on first. Skenes fired two fast balls that whiffed, but on a full count, Ohtani connected with a 100.1 mph fastball, sending it to dead center for a two-run home run.
Ohtani's hit left the bat at 105.6 mph, per Statcast, and traveled 415 feet. It marked the second-longest hit ball on a pitch over 100 mph this season, with Ian Happ's 425-foot shot off a Ryan Helsley pitch on May 26 being the longest.
It's among the rare errors Skenes has made, merely narrowing the Pirates' lead to 7-2.
Ohtani struck again, singling to right in the fifth inning to advance two runners in a 7-3 game.
However, Ohtani's single was bookended by Skenes' strikeouts against the other MVPs in the Dodger’s lineup.He struck out Mookie Betts looking with a full-count 100-mph fastball on the outside edge and Freddie Freeman with an 0-2 fastball at 99 mph that hit the bottom of the zone.
Paul Skenes completed his outing with five innings pitched, allowing three earned runs on six hits, with one walk and eight strikeouts, securing the win in a 10-6 victory for the Pirates.
Fan reactions to Shohei Ohtani's hit
The internet was in a frenzy after Ohtani got his revenge hit. Here are some of the reactions:
Paul Skenes facing off against his idol
Skenes, chosen No. 1 overall from LSU less than a year ago by the Pirates, has maintained an almost flawless record. He boasts 38 strikeouts across 27 innings pitched and a 3.00 ERA, poised to lead the Pirates to a 4-1 record in his starts. Only walking one on Tuesday, his strikeout-walk ratio stands at an impressive 38-6.
He reflected on his admiration for Shohei Ohtani, stating, “I grew up watching him,” as reported by MLB.com's Alex Stumpf. “As a two-way guy, that was what I was trying to be before I got drafted. He was an inspiration in a lot of ways.”
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