Pirates Rookie Phenom Paul Skenes Named All-Star Game Starting Pitcher

PITTSBURGH, PA — Paul Skenes' remarkable ascension to baseball superstardom continued Friday when the Pirates' rookie was named the National League's starting pitcher in next week's Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Skenes received the news from NL manager Torey Lovullo, who surprised him during a Dan Patrick Show appearance. The Pirates wasted no time in spreading the word on social media.

According to MLB.com, Skenes will be just the fifth rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game. The others were Dave Stenhouse in 1962, Mark Fidrych in 1976, Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 and Hideo Nomo in 1995.

Since making his first Pirates appearance on May 17, Skenes has a 6-0 record and an earned run average of 1.90 in 11 starts. He has 13 walks and 89 strikeouts.

On Thursday, he had another incredible performance, tossing seven no-hit innings in the Bucs' 1-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

The All-Star Game will be played Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds is a reserve outfielder on the National League team.