PHOTO: Paul Skenes honors dad with custom cleats on Father's Day, shows off special shoes before Pirates vs. Rockies clash
On Father’s Day, Pittsburg Pirates' top prospect Paul Skenes gave tribute to his father, Craig Skenes, with custom-made Nike cleats. Craig was the first person to reckon how special his son was at an early age and guided him with his years of professional experience before getting a formal coach.
Now, Paul Skenes has become one of the sensations in MLB, earning praise from experts and stars for his remarkable performances. Ahead of the three-game series finale between the Pirates and Colorado Rockies on Sunday, the righty ace posted a custom-made Nike cleat designed by renowned artist Mache on his Instagram story.
The shoes have Craig’s face and name printed on the left side, and Happy Father’s Day on the right. On Mache’s Instagram profile, there’s another pair of shoes Paul Skenes has designed for himself with a similar design and grayish color, but this one has “Skenes” written on one side with “USA” printed on the other. It also featured a “U.S. Air Force” as a tribute to his time in Air Force camp.
Paul Skenes’ major league debut was a highly anticipated event since he displayed a class play in spring training this year. The 2023’s top draft pick didn’t betray those expectations when he demonstrated his lethal 100-plus mph fastballs against some of the league’s top hitters, like Codey Beillnger and Shohei Ohtani.
He has a 2.43 ERA in 33.1 innings with 46 strikeouts in six starts. Tonight, Skenes has the opportunity to become the series hero as it is tied 1-1, with the last game taking place at Coors Field. The LSU standout has the chance to win the series for his team.
Paul Skenes was always passionate about baseball
Paul Skenes' path to becoming a professional baseball player was not a predetermined goal. However, his parents, Craig and Karen Skenes, recognized his prodigious talent in the sport and allowed him to choose his path.
Skenes was a two-way star in high school, excelling as a catcher/closer. He considered joining the Air Force or the Navy in the future and even completed basic cadet training. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his career plans took a different turn.
After joining LSU, Skenes led the program to victory in the 2023 College World Series, catching the attention of scouts with his outstanding performance. However, his mother, Karen, always believed in her son’s passion for baseball.
“I feel like baseball was always just a dream that was in the back of his mind,” she said, via MLB.com.
“It’s very hard at a professional level. It’s very hard to get to that point. So while he always would bet on himself, he also had an understanding that it was going to take a lot of things lining up the right way. A lot of luck, as well as things he can control.”
Despite having a detour at the Air Force, Skenes was drafted as the overall No. 1 pick in 2023, made his debut this season, and continues to amaze the big league spectators.