Pirates’ Paul Skenes flirts with Kerry Wood 20-strikeout game territory

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Malik Brown, ClutchPoints

Wed, May 13, 2026 at 2:54 PM UTC ·

2 min read

Pirates’ Paul Skenes flirts with Kerry Wood 20-strikeout game territory appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Pittsburgh Pirates won the first game of their series against the Colorado Rockies , and it was thanks to Paul Skenes and what he was able to do on the mound. Through the first two innings, it looked like Skenes was heading toward pitching a no-hitter.

“Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Skenes is the first Pirates pitcher in the Expansion Era (1961) to strike out the side in order three times in a game,” Perrotto wrote. The only MLB pitcher to do it four times in a game was the Cubs ’ Kerry Wood on May 6, 1998, against the Astros in a 20-strikeout performance.

“Also according to Elias, Skenes became one of four MLB pitchers in the Modern Era (since 1900) to pitch eight scoreless innings while allowing two or fewer hits and zero walks in consecutive starts, joining Cy Young ( Red Sox , 1905), Billy Pierce ( White Sox , 1958) and Mat Latos (Padres, 2010).”

Skenes ended the game, allowing just two hits, and he threw 98 pitches.

“Paul is capable of pitching like this every time out,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said.

It has been a good past week for Skenes, as he had one of the best outings of his three-year career last Wednesday in Phoenix, when he shut out the Arizona Diamondbacks through eight innings before being lifted.

Skenes has only one complete game in the big leagues, when he pitched eight innings in a road loss to the Philadelphia Phillies last season, even though he was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2024 and Cy Young Award winner last season.

If Skenes keeps pitching the way he does, the Pirates can keep climbing the standings, as they’re currently 23-19 and are in fourth place in the NL Central.

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