Pittsburgh Pirates phenom pitcher Paul Skenes has wowed everyone in baseball with what he has done since being called up in May, and Tuesday night will notch another milestone under his belt as he is set to start the All-Star Game for the National League.
Skenes, who has a 1.90 ERA over 11 starts this season, has earned the start, and one of the hitters who could be facing him at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, sung high praise for a pitcher he believes will not be one-and-done at these types of games.
"Gotten a chance to watch a couple of his games the past couple weeks since he got called up, and it’s special stuff, man. Electric stuff," New York Yankees reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge said during an All-Star Game media availability on Monday.
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All the talk surrounding Skenes is his electric arm that can dial up a fastball to triple digits on the radar gun. However, when Judge watches him on the mound, he sees much more than a power arm, which is why he has had early success.
"You can talk about the velocity of his pitches and what he does, but the guy’s a pitcher, man," Judge explained. "He can work all three, four, five of his pitches. Throw it to every part of the zone any count. He’s a complete pitcher.
"It’s going to be fun. I think we’re all excited to see him on the mound, see him do his thing, especially in his first All-Star Game. Getting the nod to be a starter, it’s impressive, man. Definitely looking forward to facing him."
There is a chance Judge will not face Skenes despite batting fourth in the American League All-Star lineup on Tuesday. Pitchers usually do not go more than one inning in All-Star Games, not only to conserve arms for the second half of the regular season, but also to get every All-Star a chance to pitch in the game.
If Skenes goes 1-2-3 in the first inning and is taken out after that, Judge will be facing someone else in the bottom of the second inning.
However, Judge’s Yankees teammate Juan Soto will be hitting third in the AL order.
"I’ll make sure he faces him," Soto said on MLB Network’s broadcast alongside Judge before the MLB Home Run Derby on Monday night.
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Soto also praised Skenes.
"He’s incredible. It’s incredible to see a guy like that put in the performances he’s been doing. He’s a young guy just coming in, coming up, showing his stuff and everything. It’s pretty electric stuff, so we’ll see how it goes," he said.
Judge was asked what he would be thinking about in the batter's box if he does face Skenes.
"The approach? Don’t blink," he said, laughing. "That ball is coming in pretty fast."
Skenes is just getting started for his career, and he is already notching franchise and league rookie records while proving he is one of the best in the game right now with the ball in his hand.
If health is on his side, Skenes should be featured at the All-Star Games many times as he continues to play in MLB, and Judge wants to see it.
"He’s going to be one of the top pitchers in this game for a long time, so it’s going to be exciting to get a chance to face him in this first one, and I know he’s going to have multiple All-Star Game starts for years to come. This is pretty cool," he said.
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