Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes continued his sensational campaign Thursday, tossing a no-hitter through seven innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. However, Pirates manager Derek Shelton pulled Skenes after 99 pitches, much to the ire of baseball fans.
Pittsburgh sports talk radio personality Andrew Fillipponi couldn't believe the decision, via X.
“OTHER THAN AN INNING IN TEXAS PAUL SKENES WAS GETTING A WEEK OFF,” Fillipponi said. “MAYBE MORE. THIS WAS THE PERFECT TIME TO LET HIM KEEP PITCHING!!!”
Fillipponi was referencing Skenes' inevitable appearance in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game, which will take place Tuesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The 22-year-old could start the game for the National League but is unlikely to toss more than an inning.
X user “Terry Tough Guy” had a more sarcastic approach to the subject.
“99 pitches already thru 7 and you pull him? Unbelievably soft,” he tweeted. “Heaven forbid a professional athlete throws 110+ pitches one time while going for a milestone.”
How could Pittsburgh rob their rookie of the chance to make history?
The Pirates followed the modern-day MLB's overly cautious mentality
Skenes was cruising through Milwaukee's lineup, tossing 11 strikeouts with just one walk. While it used to be common for MLB pitchers to toss well above 100 pitches, especially when chasing a no-hitter, Shelton elected to play it safe. Skenes only threw 13 pitches over his final two innings and could've theoretically finished the job at around 120 total tosses.
Much has been made of the MLB's increasingly conservative approach to starting pitching, with managers rarely letting their starters toss complete games nowadays. The only hurler with multiple nine-inning outings this year is Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves, who has two. The last pitchers to throw more than three in a season were Corey Kluber and Ervin Santana, who each did it five times in 2017.
The decision irritated fans even further when reliever Colin Holderman gave up two hits in the eighth, ruining the Pirates' chances of a combined no-no.
“Oh, I hate this…And right away Holderman gives up hits to the first two batters he faces, 🙄” X user Julie Swieca Gannon said. “I think the manager should have let his ace start the 8th & THEN pull him if he gives up a hit or a walk. His 7th was VERY efficient. 😕 .”
Right up until a few years ago, that was the common practice when a team's starting pitcher was tossing a no-hitter and/or perfect game. Now, though, teams are so afraid of losing their hurlers to injury that they often won't allow them to finish what they started.
There was one fan on board with the decision, though.
“This was the correct move,” X user Ryan Sensenig tweeted. “The kid is the face of the organization and obviously their biggest asset for the future. You do not burn him out in his 11th career start for a meaningless achievement in the grand scheme of things. There’s been 323 no hitters. He’ll get more chances.”
One could argue that a couple of more innings was unlikely to destroy Skenes' arm, but anything is possible.
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