2 weeks Ago
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates star pitcher Paul Skenes met another player who starred for the franchise two decades ago. Skenes met former Pirates outfielder Jason Bay, who honored Skenes by presenting him the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Award at PNC Park on April 18, prior to the series opener vs. the Cleveland Guardians.
Bay also win the National League Rookie of the Year Award, but 20 years earlier in 2004. The Pirates have both tributes to Bay and Skenes in the tunnel before the dugout and near the clubhouse, the only two players to win the award in franchise history. Bay, plus left-handed pitcher Óliver Pérez and Cory Stewart, came to the Pirates on Aug.
26, 2003, in a trade with the San Diego Padres, in exchange for All-Star outfielder Brian Giles. He didn't start the 2024 season until May 7, but still put up sensational numbers for a rookie. He batted .
282, while leading all NL rookies with 26 home runs, 82 RBIs, 54 extra base hits, 226 total bases and a .550 slugging percentage. Bay became the first ever Canadian baseball player to win the Rookie of the Year Award.
He went on to have great success with the Pirates, making back-to-back All-Star appearances the following two seasons, including 2006 at PNC Park. Bay also signed a four-year contract with the Pirates after the 2025 season, worth $18.25 million.
The Pirates would send Bay and infielder Josh Wilson in a trade to the Boston Red Sox on July 31, 2008. This ended up as a three-team trade, with the Red Sox sending outfielder Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers sending third baseman Andy LaRoche and right-handed pitcher Bryan Morris to the Pirates and the Red Sox sending right-handed pitcher Craig Morris and outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss to the Pirates as well. Bay finished his time in Pittsburgh with a slash line of .
281/.375./.
515 for an OPS of .890. He amassed 729 hits, 151 doubles, 18 triples, 139 home runs and 452 RBIs.
Skenes starred at LSU in 2023, after transferring from Air Force. He had a 13-2 record in 19 starts, 1.69 ERA in 122.
2 innings, giving up just 23 earned runs and seven earned runs, while notching 209 strikeouts to just 20 walks, leading the program to a national title that season. He would enter the 2023 MLB Draft, where the Pirates took him with the No. 1 overall pick.
He also signed with the franchise on a $9.2 million signing bonus, the highest ever given to a player at the time. Skenes dominated in the minor leagues and soon made it up to the majors on May 11 of the 2024 season.
He started 23 games, had a 1.96 ERA in 133 innings, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while recording 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average.
He also had a 11.50 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.95.
Skenes was the first member of the Pirates to start for the National League in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975, 49 years ago. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers last doing so before him in 1995, en route to winning NL Rookie of the Year. He also made the All-MLB First Team for his performance in 2024 and was a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award, along with winning NL Rookie of the Year.
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