Fans livid over Pirates’ decision during Paul Skenes’ no-hit bid

May 29, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the second inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Pirates infuriated baseball fans on Thursday with their controversial decision to pull Paul Skenes after seven no-hit innings.

Skenes was dominant against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out 11 over seven innings without allowing a hit. However, manager Derek Shelton did not send Skenes out for the eighth inning after the rookie threw 99 pitches. Reliever Colin Holderman immediately gave up a hit upon entering the game, but the Pirates ultimately closed out a 1-0 victory while allowing two hits.

This was little consolation to many fans who wanted to see Skenes get his shot at history.

Skenes regularly threw 100 pitches-or-more at LSU in 2023. Since then, the Pirates have been much less aggressive with him, as he never threw more than 75 pitches in any of his Triple-A outings. His season-high is 107 pitches, which he hit in his last start against the New York Mets on July 5.

Shelton was in a bad spot. Skenes was totally dominating the Brewers, but the Pirates have invested so much in him. On the other hand, Skenes has ample experience throwing well over 100 pitches, though it has been roughly a year since he did so regularly. The manager is already fairly unpopular among Pirates fans , and whether it was the right decision or not, this will only make matters worse.

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