Paul Skenes’ Unplanned Visit Gives Youth Baseball Players Unforgettable Day
An ordinary day at the ballpark turned into one that was anything but for a group of youth baseball players in Wexford, Pa.
Pirates ace Paul Skenes was driving through the North Hills of Pittsburgh when he came across a field. With nothing to do on an off day in Pittsburgh, the reigning National League Cy Young winner wanted to get his fix of baseball for the day.
“I was driving down the road and I saw a baseball field and I was bored, so went down and wanted to watch some baseball,” Skenes said. “I guess I’m not very good at staying incognito.”
It’s hard for anyone to not recognize the 6-foot-6 Skenes, who has emerged as the face of the Pirates and one of the best pitcher in baseball since making his MLB debut 25 months ago.
It was no different for the Ingomar 10u and 11u teams who were at the field when Skenes made an impromptu visit.
“Should’ve worn some sunglasses and a fake moustache,” joked the unmistakable Skenes.
His visit to the field quickly turned into a day the group of young players will never forget. Skenes stayed at the field for about two hours, signing autographs, taking pictures and playing catch with the kids.
Word of his visit spread like wildfire, and a 13u team also arrived at the field to get a glimpse of Skenes.
Skenes remembers what it was like to meet a big-leaguer as a young baseball player chasing a dream.
“It’s cool. I remember when I was a little leaguer, I met Garrett Anderson, Angels legend and still remember that to this day.”
Skenes’ visit to Vestal Field in Franklin Park came at a time when the right-hander was going through one of the rare rough patches of his young career. At the time of Monday’s off day, he had been on a personal three-game losing streak and had a 4.95 ERA over his last four games.
Perhaps returning to his roots did the trick in getting him back on track. Although the Pirates were pummeled in Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Skenes delivered his first quality start since May 12 by allowing two runs across six innings and striking out seven batters.
Monday’s visit helped keep things in perspective, a return to his roots of sorts.
“You got to remember it’s just a game,” Skenes said following the game on Tuesday night. “There’s a lot of things that make it a business. It’s work, it’s a job for us, for sure, on some days more than others, but you got to remember you love the game and why you started playing it in the first place. So it was good for me to visit them because of that.”
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