The Pittsburgh Pirates only have one representative at the MLB All-Star Game, but Paul Skenes made his mark. Starting for the National League for the second straight year, Skenes put together a 1-2-3 inning. MLB.com's Sarah Langs says that Skenes made All-Star history with his two strikeout pitches in the inning.
Paul Skenes strikes out the first batter with 100-MPH heat! #AllStarGame pic.twitter.com/d8WC9S4kKy
— MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2025
“Paul Skenes’ two strikeout pitches of 99.7 mph and 100.3 mph are the fastest strikeouts by an All-Star starter under pitch tracking (2008). Prior: 99.5 by 2013 Max Scherzer,” Langs wrote.
Skenes sat down Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielder Riley Greene to start the MLB All-Star Game. Aaron Judge grounded out to shortstop, completing Skenes' second straight scoreless inning in the game. Tarik Skubal got the start for the American League, giving up two runs in the first inning.
Skenes did have a record broken during this MLB All-Star Game. Last year, he was the pitcher with the fewest appearances to make the team. Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski blew him out of the water, getting the nod with only five starts to Skenes' 11. But the Pirates' ace gets back in the record books immediately.
Skenes' stats are eye-popping, with a 2.01 ERA in 20 starts and only six home runs allowed. But his record is only 4-8 thanks to a poor Pirates offense. He had to be thrilled to see Ketel Marte clear the bases and give the NL a 2-0 lead, even if he was not coming out to pitch the second inning.
After Skenes pitched a perfect first inning, he gave way to Clayton Kershaw to pitch for the National League. The future Hall of Famer sat down Cal Raleigh and Vladimir Guerrero Jr to complete his night. The present passing it off to a legend of the game made for a great start to the MLB All-Star Game. Can the NL hang on for the win?
