Pirates' Paul Skenes Discusses Being Pulled After 7 No-Hit Innings: 'I Get it'

Paul Skenes had a tremendous day on the mound against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, pitching seven hitless innings before being pulled ahead of the eighth.

While completing the no-hitter would have been a tremendous feat, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher said that he understands the decision to pull him out of the game given the tight circumstances.

"I wasn't going to be surprised either way, if he sent me out or pulled me," Skenes said. "We have [Colin] Holderman and [Aroldis] Chapman at the back end of our bullpen, so I think those are, I think, probably two of the best guys in the league, so I have a ton of trust in them to be able to finish it. Obviously, in a 1-0 game, you want to stay in there, you want to finish it, but the volume's getting up there a little bit, so I get it."

The Pirates led 1-0 at the time as Colin Holderman came in ahead of the eighth to hold Pittsburgh's lead. Aroldis Chapman closed the game in the ninth to get the win and the save.

Though he couldn't complete the no-hitter on Thursday, Skenes has had a tremendous start to his MLB career. Since making his debut in May, the LSU product and top pick in the 2023 MLB draft has picked up 89 strikeouts and a 1.90 ERA across 66.1 innings, notching a 6-0 record in 11 appearances.

On Thursday, he tied his career-high with 11 strikeouts.

Skenes recently became the first player in MLB history to become an All-Star in his first season after being selected first overall in the amateur draft. He's also the first rookie pitcher in Pirates history to achieve that feat.

After Thursday's performance, fans called for Skenes to be named the starter for the All-Star Game, and he certainly made a strong case to do so.

After the All-Star break, the Pirates will look to finish the season strong and make a push to reach the playoffs. Pittsburgh currently sits in third place in the NL Central at 45-48 on the year.