Paul Skenes' Skyrocket To Show Continues, And Troubled Alek Manoah May Be There Soon, Too

If one day Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays duel in a World Series or Interleague Play, they will look back fondly on their night together in Indianapolis on April 30, 2024.

They met at Victory Field on Tuesday in front of 6,237, but it may as well have been the Indianapolis Motor Speedway five miles away as both seemed in a 100 mph hurry to get to the Majors.

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Skenes, the No. 1 pick of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft out of national champion LSU, struck out seven in a six-inning shutout, around a walk and four hits. More importantly, he threw a pro career-high 75 pitches (53 strikes) as his Indianapolis Indians beat Manoah and the Buffalo Bisons, 4-3, in a memorable Triple-A pitching duel.

This sign featuring Triple-A Indianapolis pitcher Paul Skenes stretches over left field at Indy's Victory Field, where Skenes pitched on Tuesday night, striking out seven in six shut-out innings against Buffalo in a 4-3 win. (Getty Images)

Skenes, 21, did not allow a run in a start for the fifth time this season as his Earned Run Average dwindled to 0.39 in 11 starts with 41 strikeouts. He clocked a 101 mph pitch Tuesday and another at 100.9, giving him 89 pitches of 100 or more this season. Could the call to the Pirates be far away?

"I don't see or hear any of it," he said after the game. "The call will come when it comes."

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In the meantime, he'll take calls from or call girlfriend Olivia Dunne, who just won a national championship with the LSU gymnastics team two weeks ago to go with his.

The Pirates, 14-16 for a last-place tie with St. Louis in the National League