Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates has been the star of the show since being called up just a couple of months ago, and in next week’s All-Star game, he’ll be the biggest star on the biggest stage as he becomes the first rookie to start the All-Star game since Hideo Nomo in 1995.
A notable MLB insider recently revealed what went into that decision and shared why Arizona Diamondbacks and NL All-Star team manager Torey Lovullo decided to go with Skenes to open the mid-summer classic.
The Athletic/MLB on FOX’s Ken Rosenthal said “Usually, the starters for the All-Star game are named the day before the event, that’s what’s going to happen with the American League most likely on Monday, but in the case of Skenes, MLB decided to make an exception. They wanted to build excitement for the game. They wanted to eliminate the possibility of a news leak, and the Pirates were on board.”
Rosenthal also noted how starting keeps Skenes in his routine, something the Pirates are surely happy with.
Skenes is 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA and 89 strikeouts in his 66.1 innings of work, and the decision to start him was not a controversial one especially given the fact that the two Cy Young favorites in the NL are both missing the game with Atlanta Braves star Chris Sale electing not to participate and Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies nursing a minor injury.
We still don’t know who is starting for the American League, but one would expect the two most likely candidates to be Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers or Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles.