Paul Skenes ROY Bobblehead Giveaway by Pirates Leads to Video of Long Line of Fans

Excitement over a Paul Skenes-themed giveaway led the Pittsburgh Pirates to guarantee a bobblehead for every fan in attendance for Saturday's matchup with the Cleveland Guardians at PNC Park.

The Pirates originally promised bobbleheads commemorating Skenes' NL Rookie of the Year win to the first 20,000 fans in attendance at Saturday's game, leading to a line that wrapped around multiple blocks hours before first pitch.

The Pirates later announced any fan in attendance who did not get a bobblehead would receive an electronic voucher to pick up the trading card-themed collectible at a later date.

"We all saw the lines and unprecedented response for this unique giveaway," Pirates president Travis Williams said in a statement. "[Team owner Bob Nutting] called me and we discussed how we can ensure every fan coming to today’s game received one. I give a lot of credit to our internal team for the quick response to make that happen.”

Skenes, the first pick of the 2023 draft, went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings during his 2024 rookie season.

He became the second Pirate to win Rookie of the Year while finishing third in voting for the NL Cy Young Award last fall.

In addition to receiving the giveaway, Pirates fans at PNC Park on Saturday got to see Skenes make his 28th career MLB start on Saturday. He registered four strikeouts while allowing six hits, two runs and a walk in 7.0 innings of work during a 3-0 loss to Cleveland.