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The Pittsburgh Pirates put on a big display against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, and Paul Skenes helped the team to a 10-2 win. The Pirates bounced back nicely from the 8-0 defeat suffered at the Tigers' hands on Tuesday, and what made it even sweeter for Skenes was that it occurred on his 22nd birthday.
His girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, took to Instagram to share a clip of one of his nine strikeouts from the day, which she captioned:
"Nothing like some B-day K's."
Skenes allowed only three hits across six innings pitched and came away with a 2.45 ERA.
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Paul Skenes discusses catcher Grant Koch's MLB debut
The game against the Tigers wasn't just Paul Skenes' birthday or an important fixture for the team, it was also the MLB debut of catcher Grant Koch. Speaking to reporters after the game, Skenes discussed hearing the news that Koch would be catching for him:
“It kind of gave me chills. He’s the man. I’ve loved throwing to him, and I know he deserves it.
"It was cool. I haven’t gotten to talk to him a ton yet about it. We just went straight into talking about how the game was. That’s kind of how our relationship is, and I’m super grateful for that. Not just that I could be a part of his debut, but I get to throw to him.”
Skenes continued, discussing his and Koch's relationship and the importance of their chemistry:
“As a catcher, game-calling is huge, and receiving is everything. And he’s the whole picture as a catcher, and so we got to know each other real well in Indianapolis this year [in Triple-A]. We got to know each other a little bit during Spring Training, too.
“He and I have clicked as well as any catcher I’ve thrown to.”
With the Pirates having clicked into some decent form of late, having won four of their past five games, they stand at 26-30 and fourth in the NL Central. Given that the Milwaukee Bucks lead the division with a 32-23 record, there is cause for hope for Pittsburgh fans.
We will see if the Pirates can push on and make a bid for the postseason. Up next is the first of the three-game series vs. the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
