Paul Skenes Admits Nerves Nearly Took Over In Thrilling MLB All-Star Debut

Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes has become a must-see attraction the likes of which MLB hasn't seen in quite some time.

At just 22 years old, he made his first MLB All-Star Game appearance after just 11 career starts. In fact, Skenes was not only chosen to pitch in this year's Midsummer Classic but also selected to start the game.

No doubt nerves and excitement played their part for the rookie pitcher, who has seemingly taken over the baseball world in just a short amount of time. But Skenes almost got a little too fired up in what was perhaps the biggest moment of his career to date.

"I don't think I blacked out, but I was pretty close," Skenes said after Tuesday night's All-Star Game, per Bob Nightengale .

Skenes only pitched one inning but worked through a gauntlet of American League heavy hitters, including both of the New York Yankees' best in Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.

Working a scoreless inning, he got Cleveland Guardians' Steven Kwan on a pop-out to short, then Baltimore Orioles' Gunnar Henderson on a ground-out for the first two outs. He walked Soto, but proceeded to get Judge to ground out to third, resulting in a fielder's choice, getting Soto out at second.

For the season, Skenes boasts a 1.90 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, with 89 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched.

We've likely just seen the start of his All-Star Game appearances.

The American League won 5-3 over the National League.