Paul Skenes has only 11 starts under his belt and been a big leaguer for just two months. So, the fact he not only made the All-Star Game, but was also named the NL’s starter, shows just how special the Pittsburgh Pirates' ace has been.
The phenom will be just the fifth rookie pitcher to start the All-Star Game since it was first played in 1933. The others? Dave Stenhouse (1962), Mark Fidrych (1976), Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Hideo Nomo (1995).
Skenes' Cy Young odds have skyrocketed as he’s taken baseball by storm. His odds were +20000 when he was called up on May 11, +6500 last week at BetMGM and improved to +1000 after Thursday's incredible outing against the Milwaukee Brewers. They moved even more (to +600) after he was named the NL's starting pitcher and he trails only Chris Sale (+125) and Zack Wheeler (+155) in the market.
Skenes dominated Milwaukee as he tossed seven no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts before being pulled at 99 pitches. That marked the second time he threw at least six no-hit innings with 11 strikeouts. As a result, he joined Nolan Ryan as the only pitcher in history to accomplish that feat.
Overall, Skenes enters his All-Star start with a 1.91 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP and 89 strikeouts over 66 1/3 innings. His 89 strikeouts are the most through a pitcher's first 11 games since ERA became an official stat over a century ago. He’s also the first pitcher since 1901 to have at least seven strikeouts in 10 of his first 11 starts, which he’s done in eight straight games.
