Sometimes, it doesn’t matter what team you root for — you have no choice but to recognize good baseball. That was the case in St. Louis on Tuesday night.
Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes took the mound for the first time against a divisional foe when the Cardinals hosted the Pirates. The No. 1 pick in 2023 out of LSU is off to a dominant start to his young MLB career, and he only improved his numbers with his performance at Busch Stadium.
Skenes and Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas delivered one of the best pitching duels you will see in 2024. The two went punch-for-punch over parts of six innings, neither allowing a run as the offenses on each side were silenced.
In the end, the Pirates prevailed 2-1 over the Cardinals in the first game of NL Central series.
Paul Skenes standing ovation
When Skenes exited in the seventh inning, you would have sworn the game was being played in Pittsburgh. The St. Louis faithful got on their feet as he exited toward the dugout, giving the Pirates hurler his flowers after another sensational start.
Cardinals fans give Paul Skenes an ovation as he exits in the seventh inning pic.twitter.com/UV4TiWeYwx
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 12, 2024
MORE: Everything to know about Paul Skenes’ pitch mix
Paul Skenes stats
The Cardinals had no answer for Skenes’ brilliance. The Pirates flamethrower threw 6.1 innings of shutout baseball, giving up five hits while striking out eight and failing to surrender a walk. Skenes did not factor into the decision.
Paul Skenes, 100mph Fastball and 84mph Curveball, Overlay. 😯 pic.twitter.com/b55quA8NDS
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 12, 2024
Paul Skenes, 99mph on his 99th Pitch. pic.twitter.com/DhlIQKK4B6
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 12, 2024
Paul Skenes featuring 100+ MPH heat plus THESE for his first two strikeouts tonight. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uonpNPt0Ww
— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2024
Skenes took a perfect game into the fourth inning before allowing a single to St. Louis outfielder Alec Burleson.
With the scoreless performance, Skenes’ ERA dropped to 2.43 on the season. It was the second time in six starts where he pitched at least six shutout innings. Over 33.1 innings, the Pirates standout has 46 strikeouts to just six walks.
Paul Skenes pitch count
Skenes left the contest in the seventh inning after a season-high 103 pitches.
It marks only the second time this season that Skenes reached triple digits, with his previous high being 100.
Miles Mikolas stats
Unfortunately for Skenes and the Pirates, Mikolas was just as good on Monday.
The Cardinals veteran took a perfect game into the sixth inning before issuing a walk to Pirates DH Rowdy Tellez. He did not surrender a hit until the seventh when Bryan Reynolds tripled off him.
Mikolas exited the game after 7.0 innings with just one hit, no runs, six strikeouts, and a walk. He also did not factor into the decision.
