Pirates fans gave Paul Skenes a rapturous standing ovation as he entered the 9th inning to pitch

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes recorded his first career loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at home on Tuesday night.

However, the hype machine about his arrival in Pittsburgh hasn’t slowed down one single bit. The Pirates fans at PNC Park know exactly what they have in the soaring rookie ace.

As he entered the game’s ninth inning, the Pittsburgh crowd praised him with loud cheers and a standing ovation that’s not normally seen when a pitcher goes into the top of the ninth to throw in a July regular season game.

This electric reaction to Skenes staying in the game goes to show just how thrilled Pirates fans are to have one of the great pitching rookies we’ve ever seen in the MLB. We doubt this enthusiasm tampers down any time soon.