Current:Home > InvestEchoSense:Paul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge. -Streamline Finance
EchoSense:Paul Skenes blew away Shohei Ohtani in their first meeting. The two-time MVP got revenge.
Surpassing View
Date:2025-04-11 01:22:02
Paul Skenes and EchoSenseShohei Ohtani exchanged greetings on the baseball field in a manner befitting the hardest-throwing phenom and the greatest two-way talent in the game.
Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie making his fifth career start, blew away Ohtani on three pitches — 101.3, 100.1 and 100.8 mph — that the Los Angeles Dodgers star swung and whiffed at in their first encounter Wednesday night at PNC Park.
But the two-time MVP didn't need more than two tries to welcome Skenes to the big leagues.
Ohtani turned around a 100-mph fastball in the third inning, sending it 415 feet and over the fence in straightaway center field for his 15th home run, showing the rookie that it's not so easy to slip pure heat by the Dodgers DH.
Yet it's one of a precious few mistakes Skenes made in Wednesday's 10-6 triumph, as he picked up his third win in five outings, striking out eight Dodgers in five innings.
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
Oh, Ohtani got him again, singling to right in the fifth to put two runners on in a 7-3 game. But Ohtani's single was sandwiched by Skenes punchouts against the other MVPs in L.A.'s lineup. He caught Mookie Betts looking on a full-count 100-mph fastball on the outside corner, and Freddie Freeman on a 0-2 fastball that dotted the bottom of the zone at 99 mph.
After a Will Smith single loaded the bases, Skenes induced a groundout from Teoscar Hernandez and exited with a 7-3 lead. The Pirates went on to claim their second consecutive win over the NL West-leading Dodgers.
Skenes is still less than a year removed from the Pirates selecting him No. 1 overall from LSU, yet his resume remains nearly spotless. He has 38 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched and a 3.00 ERA, and the Pirates are 4-1 in his starts. He walked just one on Wednesday, bringing his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 38-to-6.
Now, add another bullet point to that list: A split decision against the game's greatest talent.
veryGood! (482)
Related
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Target pulls Black History Month product after video points out misidentified icons
- President Joe Biden to attend dignified transfer for US troops killed in Jordan, who ‘risked it all’
- Grammy nominee Victoria Monét on making history: One step closer to a really big dream
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Did the Georgia groundhog see his shadow? General Beauregard Lee declares early spring
- Here's what you need to know for 2024 US Olympic marathon trials in Orlando
- Hulu to enforce new restrictions on widespread subscription sharing
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- Watch: Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow on Groundhog Day 2024
Ranking
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Here's what you need to know for 2024 US Olympic marathon trials in Orlando
- European farmers rage at EU parliament in Brussels, but France protests called off after 2 weeks of mayhem
- Target pulls Black History Month product after video points out misidentified icons
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- It’s so cold and snowy in Alaska that fuel oil is thickening and roofs are collapsing
- Extreme heat, wildfire smoke harm low-income and nonwhite communities the most, study finds
- Carl Weathers, actor who starred in Rocky and Predator, dies at age 76
Recommendation
SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
Maine family gives up on proposal to honor veterans with the world’s tallest flagpole
2 men claim $1 million lottery prizes from same game within 25 minutes of each other
These are their stories: Sam Waterston to leave ‘Law & Order’ later this month after 400 episodes
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
Target pulls Black History Month book that misidentified 3 civil rights icons
These Are the Climate Grannies. They’ll Do Whatever It Takes to Protect Their Grandchildren
Apple Vision Pro debuts Friday. Here's what you need to know.