Pittsburgh Pirates hurler Paul Skenes continues to have a special season, despite his team's struggles. Skenes set a franchise record for strikeouts by a rookie pitcher, per ESPN. The first-year star now has 151 season strikeouts.

Skenes threw for the Bucs on Monday, in a win the team posted over the Miami Marlins. Skenes fanned 9 batters in yet another powerful performance. The rookie earned his 10th victory of the season, with the 3-2 win.

“I think that just goes to the quality of his stuff,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “This kid's got elite stuff, and he's going to strike out a lot of people throughout his career.”

Pittsburgh is now 68-76 on the year, after a disastrous August dashed a promising campaign to the rocks.

Pirates have found a bona fide star in Paul Skenes

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) reacts after giving up a home run to Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium.
Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The highlight of the disappointing Pirates season has been Skenes. The rookie pitcher was the no. 1 overall pick out of LSU baseball in the 2023 MLB Draft. Skenes immediately impressed baseball analysts, and the rookie made a start for the National League in this year's All-Star game. He is certainly a candidate for NL Rookie of the Year.

The pitcher now replaces Cy Blanton for the most strikeouts by a Pirates rookie. Blanton set the record way back in 1935. Skenes is also just the fourth rookie to reach 150 strikeouts in 20 starts or less, per ESPN. He joins Kerry Wood, Dwight Gooden and Mark Prior who also accomplished that feat. That's certainly elite company.

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Skenes' heroics have made him a fan favorite in the Steel City. He received a standing ovation from Pirates fans on Monday, after closing out the sixth inning.

“That's pretty dang cool every time,” Skenes said. “So, yeah, just keep showing up for the games. And hopefully, I mean, the goal is to keep giving them moments like that.”

Skenes is going to have a chance to pad his strikeout stats before the season ends. The rookie hurler wants to work as many innings as possible before the year is over.

“I'm 22. I'm conditioned to throw a lot of innings, I think,” Skenes added.

Skenes' presence has kept Pirates fans coming to games, despite the team's struggles. Pittsburgh is headed for yet another losing season. The Pirates have made just a handful of playoff appearances in the last 30 years.

The Pirates face the Marlins again on Tuesday at 6:40 Eastern. Pittsburgh is dead last in the National League Central Division.