Paul Skenes

Late in the game, Simeon seldom gets the opportunity. This has become a problem for Major League Baseball, which needs all the stars it can find. In 1968, Bob Gibson started 34 games for the St. Louis Cardinals and finished 28 of them. In the process, he became a national celebrity. Last season, no pitcher managed more than two complete games.

Late in the game, Simeon seldom gets the opportunity. This has become a problem for Major League Baseball, which needs all the stars it can find. In 1968, Bob Gibson started 34 games for the St. Louis Cardinals and finished 28 of them. In the process, he became a national celebrity. Last season, no pitcher managed more than two complete games.

Six times pitchers were pulled from games after the seventh inning when they had no hitters underway. It even happened to Skeens again later in the year after seven innings at a July 11th game in Milwaukee.

Six times pitchers were pulled from games after the seventh inning when they had no hitters underway. It even happened to Skeens again later in the year after seven innings at a July 11th game in Milwaukee.

The drama of a pitcher's attempting to complete a no-hitter, battling not just fatigue but luck, a bloop off the end of the bat can break up a no-hitter just as easily as a line drive, remains one of the game's greatest pleasures.

The drama of a pitcher's attempting to complete a no-hitter, battling not just fatigue but luck, a bloop off the end of the bat can break up a no-hitter just as easily as a line drive, remains one of the game's greatest pleasures.

But with pitching injuries increasingly common and the benefits of bringing in a reliever after going twice through the batting order statistically unassailable, the circumstances under which starters are allowed to continue have dwindled. Astonishingly, even a no-hitter is no longer reason enough. In the heat of the moment, it feels short-term.

But with pitching injuries increasingly common and the benefits of bringing in a reliever after going twice through the batting order statistically unassailable, the circumstances under which starters are allowed to continue have dwindled. Astonishingly, even a no-hitter is no longer reason enough. In the heat of the moment, it feels short-term.

Let's have something cool happen, says Craig Council, the Cubs manager. But at the risk of someone's health, I don't think it's that cool. Skeens was a rookie last season, gratified to have made it to the majors. If Shelton wanted to protect his arm, who was he to argue? By mid-season, though, Skeens was a phenomenon. When he started a game at PNC Park where the Pirates play, attendance jumped.

Let's have something cool happen, says Craig Council, the Cubs manager. But at the risk of someone's health, I don't think it's that cool. Skeens was a rookie last season, gratified to have made it to the majors. If Shelton wanted to protect his arm, who was he to argue? By mid-season, though, Skeens was a phenomenon. When he started a game at PNC Park where the Pirates play, attendance jumped.

That matters for a club that hasn't won even half its games in any season since 2018. The closest thing we've had to an event here in Pittsburgh since I arrived are the days that he pitches, says Ben Charrington, who has been the general manager of the Pirates since 2019. After the season, Skeens, 22, won the National League's Rookie of the Year Award.

That matters for a club that hasn't won even half its games in any season since 2018. The closest thing we've had to an event here in Pittsburgh since I arrived are the days that he pitches, says Ben Charrington, who has been the general manager of the Pirates since 2019. After the season, Skeens, 22, won the National League's Rookie of the Year Award.

At spring training in Florida this year, his image decorated a pirate's banner at Sarasota Airport and a flag that flapped from a lamppost in downtown Bradenton. That success confers some bargaining power. Skeens told me that if he has a no-hitter going late in a game this season, and he feels strong enough, he'll ask to complete it.

At spring training in Florida this year, his image decorated a pirate's banner at Sarasota Airport and a flag that flapped from a lamppost in downtown Bradenton. That success confers some bargaining power. Skeens told me that if he has a no-hitter going late in a game this season, and he feels strong enough, he'll ask to complete it.

Still, Shelton is tasked with winning, not producing memorable moments. I understand that fans wanna see guys come out for the eighth and ninth, he says. But he cautions that several variables need to line up for that to occur. He lists a few of them. Is the game close? Have the innings been stressful? Is the bullpen rested? Over the last few years, baseball has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity.

Still, Shelton is tasked with winning, not producing memorable moments. I understand that fans wanna see guys come out for the eighth and ninth, he says. But he cautions that several variables need to line up for that to occur. He lists a few of them. Is the game close? Have the innings been stressful? Is the bullpen rested? Over the last few years, baseball has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity.

Rule changes have accelerated the game's pace, and a new generation of dynamic and enormously talented young players has arrived in the majors. Still, the sport's decades-long trend toward cultural irrelevance remains worrisome.

Rule changes have accelerated the game's pace, and a new generation of dynamic and enormously talented young players has arrived in the majors. Still, the sport's decades-long trend toward cultural irrelevance remains worrisome.

In that sense, MLB can hardly afford to marginalize some of its biggest names by putting them on the field, as Skeens was last season, only about 5% of the time, and almost never when a game's outcome was in doubt.

In that sense, MLB can hardly afford to marginalize some of its biggest names by putting them on the field, as Skeens was last season, only about 5% of the time, and almost never when a game's outcome was in doubt.