Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes shone in his second major league start against the Chicago Cubs, pitching six no-hit innings and striking out 11 batters. On a sunny Friday at Wrigley Field, he threw 100 pitches, with 67 of them being strikes, and the Pirates held an 8-0 lead.
Despite a perfect game so far, the only baserunner for the Cubs was Michael Busch, who walked in the fifth inning. In the same inning, Bryan Reynolds caught a routine fly ball hit by Christopher Morel just before the warning track.
Skenes, who will turn 22 on May 29, was the No. 1 overall pick by the Pirates in last year’s amateur draft. After helping LSU win the national championship, he signed a contract with the Pirates that included a $9.2 million signing bonus. Prior to being called up by the Pirates, he had a 0.99 ERA in seven starts with Triple-A Indianapolis.
In his major league debut against Chicago last weekend, Skenes pitched four innings of three-run ball, striking out seven batters and walking two.
