ARLINGTON, Texas — It’s special because it never lasts, like childhood, precious and fleeting and full of possibility. Paul Skenes is living that moment now, that blissfully simple stage of an athlete’s career before contracts and injuries, expectations and loss.
Skenes is perfect now, undefeated in 11 starts — two of them hitless — in his two-month major-league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He throws a pitch with a funny name, the splinker, that baffles even the best: 11 fellow All-Stars have faced Skenes, and he’s held them to a .156 average.
At the All-Star festivities last summer, Skenes’ name was the first to be called at the amateur draft. Now he’s preparing for a stroll down the red carpet with his famous girlfriend, gymnast Livvy Dunne, on his way to start the All-Star Game for the National League.
“Paul is everything that is right about this game,” said Torey Lovullo, the NL manager, praising Skenes’ humility and maturity. “I couldn’t be more honored sitting next to him.”
Lovullo spoke at an interview table here Monday, his dress shirt unbuttoned at the top, no sport coat. Bruce Bochy, the AL manager now guiding his fifth All-Star team, wore a casual, short-sleeved shirt. Corbin Burnes, the AL starter, wasn’t here yet; his wife just gave birth to twins.
Skenes wore a suit and tie, a sharp-dressed man ready for his close-up.
“Pretty dang cool to even be in this position, to be at the All-Star Game in the first place,” said Skenes, who is 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA. “Just super grateful to be given the opportunity to start it.”
Only four other rookie pitchers have started the All-Star Game: Dave Stenhouse in 1962, Mark Fidrych in 1976, Fernando Valenzuela in 1981 and Hideo Nomo in 1995. None of them ever did it again.
Read the full story here.
