At last, the much-anticipated choices have been made. Paul Skenes, the accomplished right-handed pitcher from the Pittsburgh Pirates, has been selected to open the All-Star Game on behalf of the National League. Representing the American League, the assignment has been handed to the left-handed star from the Detroit Tigers, Tarik Skubal. These much-awaited decisions were announced this Saturday.
Skenes, barely 23 years of age, is making history as the youngest pitcher to kick off consecutive All-Star Games. His counterpart for the forthcoming game, 28-year-old Skubal, will mark his second consecutive appearance in the tournament. The previous year witnessed both of them astonish the crowds with a scoreless inning.
Before the game on Friday, Skenes and Skubal were the top two pitchers with the lowest ERA in the majors. However, Skubal’s rank fell to the fourth position overall after he suffered his first defeat since April 2 in a match against the Seattle Mariners. Despite this, he still stands second in the AL, trailing behind the Houston Astros’ Hunter Brown.
Recently, the pool of potential pitchers for the All-Star Game from the American League saw a substantial reduction. The Minnesota Twins’ Joe Ryan replaced Hunter Brown, originally slotted to start the match this Sunday. Some other potential contenders in the form of Max Fried from the New York Yankees, Jacob deGrom from the Texas Rangers, and Garrett Crochet from the Boston Red Sox, who are ranked third, fourth, and fifth in the league’s ERA respectively, were also dismissed from the AL team owing to their decisions not to play in the match.
Over in the National League, Skenes’ main competitor was Zack Wheeler from the Philadelphia Phillies. However, Wheeler decided to bow out to focus on the second half of the tournament. A sentimental choice to start due to his being a native of Atlanta, Wheeler leads the NL in terms of opponents’ OPS and follows Skenes in the ERA leaderboard.
It is of note that before Paul Skenes, the honor of the youngest pitcher to spearhead back-to-back All-Star Games was held by Robin Roberts from Philadelphia Phillies who carried the mantle in 1950 and 1951, at ages 23 and 24 respectively. Despite Skenes’ win-loss record amounting to 4-8, it is largely the consequence of his average run support which currently ranks as the third lowest in the major leagues.
In contrast to Skenes, Skubal has managed to score 153 strikeouts, granting only 16 walks, a difference that outshines the rest of the major league. Despite leading the AL in ERA at the break last season, he was passed over for the All-Star Game start. This year, the Tigers have demonstrated dominance by possessing the best record in the major leagues at 59-36, and Skubal is among their six player delegation to the All-Star event.
While it is likely that Skenes and Skubal will only get to pitch one inning each on Tuesday night, there is no denying the significant impact they’ve made on the sport. In spite of their surnames commencing with the same two letters, their journeys to the major leagues are distinctly different.
Largely due to his senior season at El Toro High School being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Skenes went unnoticed in the high school draft. He then began his college career at the Air Force Academy, where he played both as a pitcher and as a catcher. In 2022, Skenes received the John Olerud Award in recognition of his prominent status in his country. His transfer to LSU prior to his junior season marked the commencement of his ascent as one of the top pitching talents in the sport’s history.
Skenes’ exemplary performance in leading LSU to the College World Series title led to him being chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the first overall pick in the 2023 draft. On the other hand, Skubal also missed out on the high school draft and took a more winding path to achieve his stardom. His story is quite unique: he was offered a scholarship by a lone NCAA Division I school, Seattle University.
Following Tommy John surgery in 2016, Skubal was picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 29th round of the 2017 draft. However, he declined to sign with the Diamondbacks, instead opting to return to Seattle University. By 2018, Skubal had been selected by the Detroit Tigers in the ninth round of the draft, and by 2020, he had made his major league debut.
His career took a positive turn in 2022 when he showed signs of a breakthrough, only to be hindered by a surgery to repair a flexor tendon. An 11-month recovery period followed, but his performance upon returning to the game in July 2023 was quite impressive. By 2024, he had evolved to become one of the top hurlers in the sport and was crowned the American League’s Cy Young Award winner.
Skenes and Skubal’s paths crossed at the Baseball Writers Association of America dinner in New York in January, where Skenes received recognition as the NL Rookie of the Year. Both are active participants in the players’ leadership arm, serving in the Major League Baseball Players Association’s executive subcommittee. The duo did participate in a doubleheader on May 29, 2024, but they’ve never squared off in the same game.
But, the tides are set to change on Tuesday night. The stage is set for two of the game’s finest pitchers to make their indelible marks together. Each has taken a unique path to this point, and both will surely mesmerize the crowd with their extraordinary skills.