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The MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night will feature two of the brightest pitching stars in the game. Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is making his first All-Star start, while Pirates' star Paul Skenes makes his second in a row. The two took different paths to the majors, as Skenes was drafted first, and Skubal was taken in the ninth round. Fox Sports reporter Tom Rinaldi sat down with the aces and asked Skenes when he first heard of Skubal.
Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes: Two aces on their way to becoming legends.
Tom Rinaldi sat down with tonight’s All-Star Game starters and discussed their unique journeys to this historic season.@tigers | @Pirates pic.twitter.com/ThWvrjNyJB
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 15, 2025
“I didn't follow Major League Baseball at all while I was in college, so I had never heard of you,” Skenes said. “One of my teammates said in a mound visit, he was watching on TV, you didn't blink. He said that tigers, when they're hunting, don't blink.”
Rinaldi asked Skubal if he knew he had done that. “When you're competing, there's some weird things that go on. And that's probably one of them.”
The Tigers' ace burst onto the scene in September 2023. He ended that season with four wins in five starts, allowing just three runs for a 0.90 ERA. That did not stop in 2024, which saw him win the Cy Young and earn his first All-Star appearance. This year, Skubal has a 2.23 ERA, even lower than last year's, and Detroit is in first place.
The Pirates drafted Skenes first overall in 2023 and immediately reaped the benefits. He has now started both MLB All-Star Games that he has made. Skenes has been the favorite for the NL Cy Young for most of the year, and could win his first this season.
It is understandable for Skenes, or even a hardcore baseball fan, to have Skubal off their radar. In 2019, Skubal was the 20th-ranked prospect in the Tigers' system. Now, he has a legit case as the best pitcher in the world and is starting the All-Star Game.
