PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes, the Pirates’ flame-throwing rookie, carved up the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 25, 2025, like a butcher working a prime cut. The 22-year-old right-hander, in just his second big-league season, tossed seven scoreless innings, surrendering a measly three hits while striking out eight. The Dodgers, a lineup stacked with heavy lumber, couldn’t touch him. Final score: Pirates 3, Dodgers 0. It was a clinic, plain and simple.
Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, didn’t just pitch; he dominated. His fastball, humming at 100 mph, darted like a spooked jackrabbit. His slider? A filthy, knee-buckling nightmare that left Dodgers batters flailing. Even when trouble brewed—like in the third inning, with a runner on third and nobody out—Skenes didn’t blink. He fanned two and induced a weak grounder to escape, cool as a January breeze. The Dodgers, perennial postseason darlings, looked mortal, their bats reduced to toothpicks against Skenes’ stuff.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers’ prized offseason signing, took the mound opposite Skenes and struggled to keep pace. The Japanese ace, known for his pinpoint control, labored through five innings, coughing up three runs on five hits. A two-run homer by Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes in the fourth was the dagger. Yamamoto’s ERA ballooned to 3.86, and the Dodgers’ losing streak stretched to three games, their worst skid of the young season.
Skenes’ gem wasn’t just a win; it was a statement. The kid from LSU, who’d been hyped as a generational talent, is living up to the billing. His record now sits at 2-0, with a sparkling 1.93 ERA. The Pirates, perennial underdogs, are 14-10 and sniffing a wild-card spot, thanks in large part to their ace’s early-season heroics.
The game, played before a raucous crowd of 34,218 at PNC Park, ended with Skenes handing the ball to closer David Bednar, who mowed down the Dodgers in the ninth for his seventh save. Los Angeles managed just one extra-base hit—a double by Teoscar Hernández—and stranded five runners. Their star-studded trio of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman went a combined 0-for-11, a stat line that tells the story of Skenes’ night.
The Pirates’ offense, while not explosive, did enough. Hayes’ homer and an RBI single by Bryan Reynolds provided the cushion Skenes needed. Pittsburgh’s defense, anchored by shortstop Oneil Cruz, turned two double plays to snuff out any Dodger rallies before they could start.
Skenes threw 98 pitches, 65 for strikes, and didn’t walk a single batter. His eight strikeouts tied a career high. The Dodgers’ team batting average dropped to .256 after the shutout.