Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes adds another achievement to his résumé.
Jul 6, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) smiles as he walks off the field during the third inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes has set a number of impressive stats and achievements in his young career, doing so again in his most recent outing.
Skenes reached 300 strikeouts following his last start vs. the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on July 11. He achieved this in just 43 starts, making him one of only 17 MLB pitchers all-time that did so.
Paul Skenes has reached 300 career strikeouts in only his 43rd career start.
He is the first Pirates pitcher and one of only 17 Major League pitchers all-time to record at least 300 strikeouts in his first 43 big-league starts.
His 301 strikeouts, with six coming against the Twins, rank No. 94 all-time in Pirates history, and he'll likely continue moving up this list quickly with the way he's pitched.
Skenes set a season-high of 10 strikeouts over five innings vs. the
at T-Mobile Park on July 6, his previous start before the Twins. His career-high is 11 strikeouts, which he set twice during his rookie season.
His lowest strikeout total in a start is just two and has five strikeouts or more in all but three starts in 2025.
Skenes is having another incredible season in 2025, despite a 4-8 record over 20 starts, as the Pirates have scored four runs or less in 16 of his 20 starts.
He ranks amongst the top pitchers in baseball, including first in ERA (2.01), tied for second in innings pitched (121.0), fourth in opposing batting average (.189), tied for fifth in WHIP (0.93), seventh in strikeouts (131),
nod and has a strong chance of starting for National League once again.
He finished his rookie season with 170 strikeouts, and will soon pass that number shortly after the All-Star break commences. He also had an 11-3 record over 23 starts, allowing just 29 earned runs over 133.0 innings pitched for a 1.96 ERA, just 32 walks, a .198 opposing batting average and a 0.95 WHIP.
He would win NL Rookie of the Year, earning 23 of the 30 first-place votes and becoming the first Pirates player since outfielder
did so 20 years earlier in 2004. Skenes also earned All-MLB First Team honors and finished third in voting for the NL Cy Young Award.
Skenes will pitch next at the All-Star Game on July 15 at Truist Field, home of the Atlanta Braves, where the baseball world will see him go up against the best of the American League.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.
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