PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Paul Skenes said he likes to call it ‘big on big’. It was his way of describing his matchup against Dodgers All-Star Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday as the Pirates righty improved to 3-0 in his MLB career.
In the first inning, he threw three fastballs past the greatest player in the game.
“Just reading the at-bat,” Skenes said. “Saw we could hopefully beat him with that. Kept going there and it worked.”
“The stuff itself was really good,” Ohtani said. “As you saw in my first at bat, I couldn’t really put together good swings. Overall just really good stuff.”
Second at bat there was a runner on with two outs in the third inning and Ohtani took one over the centerfield wall for a two-run home run.
“Kind of got to tip your cap,” Skenes said. “I obviously beat him a couple times earlier (with a fastball). I think that was the right pitch to throw there, he’s just a pretty darn good player. Stuff like that is going to happen.”
“They have other really good players, too, and frankly that’s why we play the game, for matchups like that. Not happy I gave it up, but it’s part of the game.”
Ohtani said what makes Skenes tough to face is not just the velocity, but the angle that he throws from and the release point. He said he just made an adjustment in the second at bat.
"Ohtani and Skenes is kind of what you want to watch,” said Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales. “As a player, too, we're just as eager to see those guys go at it as much as the fans. It's really cool to see."
“We're talking about one of the best players, if not the best player, in the game,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “You have to execute pitches to him every single at-bat. I mean, even the ball he hit off Holderman. He backspun it and hit it 900 feet in the air, and you're just hoping it doesn't clip the front of the seats.”
“This guy's a special talent, every at-bat."
Overall, Skenes said it was just one of those games where you had to compete. He said again about how the Dodgers are a good team. It was one he had to grind through a little bit, but happy for the team win.
Through 5 games
Skenes said it’s awesome to be a part of this clubhouse and he’s learning why big leaguers are big leaguers, especially with how they compete. The 22-year-old also said he doesn’t make the game bigger than it is. He still approaches his starts as playing the same game he’s played forever.
If there is one player he’s really learning from it’s catcher Yasmani Grandal. He said they understand each other pretty well and can have candid conversations.
"I mean, his ability to think the game, that's why he's played the game for so long,” Skenes said Wednesday. “Being here for five stars now, that's one thing that -like I said- I can tell why, I can see why people are here. That's one thing I can tell about why he's here. His ability to game plan, think the game, all that is unlike anything I've ever been around, which is really cool."
The other thing the 6’6” righty has learned is there’s not a book on how you go about establishing yourself in the majors. He said he’s figuring it out as he goes along, things like how to throw his pitches, when to throw his pitches. He’s learning how to read hitters.
Imagine when he figures that stuff out.