Pirates name Paul Skenes Opening Day starter
The Pittsburgh Pirates have named pitcher Paul Skenes as the team's Opening Day starter, the Pirates announced on Saturday.
In a video posted to social media, Pirates manager Derek Shelton tells Skenes he will pitch against the Miami Marlins on March 27.
"Wow," Skenes said in the video. "[I] appreciate it."
Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, burst onto the major-league scene last season, his first in the majors, where the 22-year-old right-hander went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts for Pittsburgh in 2024, winning the NL Rookie of the Year award.
Skenes' sudden ascension to superstardom has caught the attention of baseball fans throughout Pittsburgh and beyond.
In January, an 11-year-old collector from California found a one-of-a-kind Paul Skenes baseball card that the Pirates had been looking for in exchange for 30 years worth of season tickets behind home plate.
More recently, Skenes was named as a cover athlete for the MLB The Show 25 video game alongside Gunnar Henderson and Elly De La Cruz.
The Pirates will visit the Miami Marlins on March 27. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m.
