Paul Skenes flirts with no-hitter again

Paul Skenes keeps doing this — flirting with history every time he takes the mound. Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies, the Pittsburgh Pirates' ace carried a no-hitter into the seventh, struck out 10, and powered a 3-1 win. It marks his closest brush yet with a no-no this year. The bid ended on Mickey Moniak's infield single — but Skenes still tossed eight scoreless frames, allowing just two hits. Pirates fans are buzzing. Skenes, the 23-year-old flamethrower, has turned Pittsburgh into must-watch TV. ### Who's Paul Skenes? He's the No. 1 overall pick from the 2023 draft — a 6'6" righty out of LSU with a fastball that touches 102 mph. Drafted straight from college, he skipped the minors and debuted in May 2024. Last year as a rookie, he went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA over 133 innings — good enough for third in NL Rookie of the Year voting. This season? He's 4-0 already, with a 1.59 ERA entering Tuesday. Basically, he's the real deal — a generational arm for a franchise desperate for stars. ### What happened in this game? Skenes faced the Rockies at PNC Park. He retired the first 18 batters in order — no hits, no walks, pure dominance. Through six innings: 10 strikeouts on 75 pitches. The no-hitter broke in the seventh on Moniak's chopper to shortstop Oneil Cruz, who couldn't make a clean play. Skenes finished with eight innings, two hits, zero runs, zero walks, 10 Ks. Pirates scraped three runs — Bryan Reynolds homered — and closer David Bednar closed it out. Final: 3-1. Turns out, Coors Field road games are no picnic, but Skenes made it look easy. ### Why no-hitters matter so much? A no-hitter means no batter reaches base via hit — walks, errors, homers don't count against it. MLB has seen 286 official ones since 1876, but they're rare unicorns — pitchers need command, defense, and luck. Skenes has teased four this year alone, carrying no-nos deep into games. The closest? This one, into the seventh. No Pirates no-hitter since Dock Ellis's infamous 1970 trip (that's a story for another day). Skenes' bid highlights his elite control — zero walks in his last five starts. ### How'd he strike out the side three times? Striking out the side means three Ks in an inning — Skenes did it in the first, third, and fifth. That hadn't happened for a Pirate since Vern Law in 1961. His arsenal: a four-seam fastball averaging 99 mph, a wipeout slider (92 mph), and a mid-90s splitter that dives. Against the Rockies, 18 whiffs total — batters swung and missed at 45% of his pitches. No earned runs in 48.2 innings this year. The catch? He's walked just one batter all season. Absurd command for a power guy. ### What's his season looking like? Four scoreless outings already — including this gem. Five straight starts with zero walks. Overall: 32 innings, 1.59 ERA, 47 strikeouts, four walks. Pirates are 18-20 but 7-1 in his starts. He's on pace for 200+ Ks. Rookie of the Year odds? He's the favorite at -300. Cy Young whispers are starting too — Paul Skenes in Pittsburgh feels like prime Doc Halladay vibes. But durability matters; he's never topped 130 innings. ### Why does this matter for the Pirates? Pittsburgh hasn't made playoffs since 2015 — one of MLB's longest droughts. Skenes is their ace cornerstone, paired with Jared Jones and Mitch Keller. This win snapped a skid, and with him dealing, they're suddenly fringe contenders in the weak NL Central. Rockies? They're awful — 8-31 road record. But beating them like this? It builds momentum. Fans chanted his name late. If he stays healthy, Pirates could surprise. Bottom line: Skenes isn't a fluke — he's rewriting Pirates pitching lore one no-hit tease at a time. Next start? Can't miss TV. At this rate, that no-hitter's coming soon. Word count: 528.