Skenes hopes to finish season: ‘It’s really important’

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes is hoping to continue pitching for the remainder of the regular season.

With the Pirates falling out of postseason contention, the conversation has shifted to the team potentially shutting Skenes down to keep his innings in check.

However, Pittsburgh reportedly has no plans to shut down Skenes.

“It’s really important because last year was a weird situation,” Skenes said of his desire to continue pitching, per MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf.

He added: “That’s one of the big things of this season, just getting used to how long the season is, because it’s super important to be used to that to have a better plan for the offseason and all the seasons moving forward, so it’s not a shock to my system.”

Skenes improved to 8-2 on the season on Friday, shutting out the Cincinnati Reds over six innings with nine strikeouts.

The 22-year-old has thrown 131 1/3 innings between Triple-A and MLB this campaign. Skenes tossed 129 1/3 innings at LSU and over a brief minor-league cameo in 2023 after being drafted first overall.

Skenes owns a 2.16 ERA and 130 strikeouts and is a strong contender to win National League Rookie of the Year.

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