Paul Skenes: 'Surreal' to Team with Shohei Ohtani at 2024 MLB All-Star Game

Paul Skenes started Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game, but even he was starstruck by Shohei Ohtani.

"I tried to enjoy the three hours I had on a team with him because that's probably only going to happen once a year," the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher said of Ohtani, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

"It was really cool to watch him do that, really cool to watch him go about his business and get to meet him and all that. I don't know of any hitters I've faced that's better than him in my career. So to be able to share a dugout with him was surreal."

Skenes and everyone else in attendance hoping to catch a glimpse of Ohtani's greatness did not leave disappointed.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star started the scoring by launching a three-run homer in the top of the third inning that seemed to set him up to win the game's MVP honors. However, the American League came charging back and took the lead for good in a 5-3 victory when Jarren Duran hit a two-run homer in the fifth.

The Boston Red Sox outfielder took home the game's MVP as a result.

While Duran had the most important moment of the game, Ohtani and Skenes certainly left their mark.

Skenes took the ball as the starter for the National League despite having just 11 starts in his rookie season. If the nerves were getting to him, he certainly didn't show it.

The fireballer pitched a scoreless first inning that was highlighted by retiring Aaron Judge on one pitch. It was a showdown fans were surely hoping to see when it was announced the New York Yankees slugger would hit fourth for the American League, and Skenes earned temporary bragging rights for his performance.

"It was a cool vantage point from the bullpen to where he was at," Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal said of watching it unfold. "The stuff—I mean, he's an incredible talent. No one's going to question his talent and what he possesses, and he works his ass off. I think he's great for the game of baseball."

Fortunately for Skenes, he will likely have plenty of additional opportunities to team up with Ohtani at future All-Star Games if he continues to pitch like he has to start his career. And he surely enjoyed that experience more than when the Dodgers star hit a home run off him in June.

The pairing wasn't enough to get the National League a win, but it was something Skenes will remember throughout his career.