The Pittsburgh Pirates removed Paul Skenes from a no-hitter for the second time in his brief 11-start career on Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Skenes recorded 11 strikeouts and allowed just one walk over 99 pitches before being relieved by Colin Holderman at the start of the eighth inning. Holderman then allowed a leadoff hit, ending the combined no-hit attempt.
In Skenes’ second career start on May 17 against the Chicago Cubs, the Pirates similarly pulled him after six hitless innings. Skenes is the only rookie pitcher in Baseball Reference’s database with multiple starts of six-plus innings with no hits allowed.
The Pirates secured a 1-0 win, with the bullpen preserving the lead. Holderman managed to escape a jam in the eighth inning, and closer Aroldis Chapman earned the save.
This dominant performance lowered Skenes’ ERA to 1.90. The 22-year-old, recently named to the NL All-Star team, has struck out 89 batters while walking only 13 over 66 1/3 innings pitched.
