Watch: Pirates' rookie star Paul Skenes receives standing ovation from Cardinals fans after 6 scoreless innings
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes continued an impressive start to his MLB career with a shutout performance against the St. Louis Cardinals, receiving a standing ovation from the home fans for his efforts. The 22-year-old former LSU star made his way up the minors last year and is now taking the major leagues by storm.
He made his sixth start of the season against the Cardinals on Tuesday, throwing 103 pitches over 6.1 shutout innings with eight strikeouts, earning the appreciation of St. Louis fans at Busch Stadium.
Watch the moment below:
Paul Skenes was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft and has since made a meteoric rise through the minor leagues. The youngster was promoted to the major leagues last month and has put in several impressive performances and become one of their breakout stars.
Over his six appearances in the majors, Skenes has notched up a 3-0 record with an impressive 2.43 ERA. He was called up when the Pirates were struggling with a 17-21 record, and they are now 32-34.
It is not often you see fans appreciate an opposing player, but the rookie pitcher was given a heartwarming standing ovation from the St. Louis faithful after his shift.
Pirates secure narrow victory over Cardinals after Paul Skenes' inspiring performance
After Paul Skenes exited to a standing ovation, the Pittsburgh Pirates completed a narrow 2-1 victory after their starting pitcher's inspiring performance. The game remained scoreless when Skenes exited in the seventh, and it wasn't until the ninth inning that both teams got on the board.
The Pirates scored two runs in the ninth thanks to a Oneil Cruz sacrifice fly and a Connor Joe RBI hit. While the Cardinals responded with the solo homer from Nolan Gorman, it wasn't enough to get them back on level terms on the night. The Pirates have two more games in St. Louis before they travel to face the Colorado Rockies for another three-game series over the weekend.