PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 11: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch in the second inning of his major league debut during the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 11, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Pirates phenom Paul Skenes’ signature pitch gets ‘gross’ take from teammate
A small-market baseball team that has missed the playoffs in eight straight seasons and is currently below .500 does not generally receive much national coverage. And yet, the Pittsburgh Pirates (26-30) are gaining some precious exposure on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” courtesy of their two most prized pitching prospects, Paul Skenes and Jared Jones.
The right-handed flamethrowers, or “Hundo Boys” as people call them, discussed their respective transitions to the MLB on Friday. Both starters are enjoying standout rookie campaigns, giving Pittsburgh hope that true pride is on the verge of being restored to PNC Park.
Skenes has particularly captured the imagination of the baseball-watching world, displaying a terrifying combination of velocity and movement on the mound. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft is 2-0 with a stellar 2.45 ERA and 30 strikeouts through just 22 innings of work. He is thoroughly impressing those around him, including Jones, who is enamored with Skenes’ signature pitch.
Jared Jones gushes about the ‘splinker’
“I’d definitely say we’re learning from each other,” the former second-rounder told Pat McAfee and company. “Just going out there, I’m sure he takes notes when I throw and I do the exact same thing when he throws. Obviously, he’s a lot of fun to watch when he does throw. I told him ‘I’m training with you the whole offseason to learn that splinker you’re throwing.’”
Skenes’ “splinker” is severely befuddling hitters in the early stages of his big league career. An embarrassing highlight reel of off-balance swings is quickly filling up, with more doomed to join his list of strikeout victims. For the fans who detest the words “sweeper” or “slurve,” they will instead just call this a sinker. But Jones explains why Skenes’ iteration deserves to be in a classification of its own.
