Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes to start All-Star Game for NL after just 11 major league starts

PHOENIX (AP) — Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes will start the All-Star Game for the National League on Tuesday night, becoming the fifth rookie pitcher given the honor.

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo, who will lead the NL team, made the announcement Friday on the SiriusXM MLB Network Radio.

“It’s such a well-deserved honor for him,” Lovullo said.

A 21-year-old right-hander, Skenes was selected by Pittsburgh with the top pick in last year’s amateur draft. He made his major league debut on May 11 and is 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA in 11 starts, striking out 89 and walking 13 in 66 1/3 innings.

Skenes has thrown 75 pitches of 100 mph or more and his 99.1 mph average four-seam fastball velocity tops the major leagues among those with 1,000 or more pitches. He pitched seven no-hit innings at Milwaukee on Thursday and was removed after 99 pitches.

“A few really, really good candidates dropped off due to injury or the fact they were pitching on Sunday,” Lovullo said. “The answer just became more and more clear. And then certainly what Paul did yesterday, really, really hammered down the thought that he should be the guy.”

Dave Stenhouse (1962), Mark Fidrych (1976), Fernando Valenzuela (1976) and Hideo Nomo (1995) are the other rookies to start an All-Star game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Skenes’ 11 career major league games will be the fewest for a player appearing in an All-Star Game, according to Elias. Fidrych and Nomo each had 13.

Skenes will be Pittsburgh’s first pitcher to start an All-Star Game since 1975, when Jerry Reuss pitched three scoreless innings.

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