Watch: Pirates star Paul Skenes' emotionless reaction to his first career All-Star selection

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has been announced for the All-Star Game alongside fellow teammate Bryan Reynolds. Both players were named to the National League (NL) All-Star team on Sunday.

It is Reynolds' second All-Star nod, while it is the first for Skenes, who wasn’t expecting to be selected, having made his major league debut just eight weeks ago.

In a clip shared by ESPNatbat, Pirates manager Derek Shelton can be seen announcing the news in front of the team.

After announcing Bryan Reynolds' name, Shelton named Paul Skenes as their second member to go to the Midsummer Classic. Skenes can be seen with a smile not showing much emotion.

“Uh, I don’t know. This is cool. And I’m just grateful for you all guys. Since the first day, I’ve been here, I’ve been part of the team. I couldn’t have done it without you guys,” Paul Skenes said.

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Skenes has become the first rookie pitcher from the Pittsburgh Pirates to be chosen for the All-Star Game. The 22-year-old started the 2024 season in the minors with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, recording a 0.99 ERA with 45 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings.

Before Sunday’s 2-3 loss against the New York Mets, Skenes ranked second in ERA with 2.12 and third in strikeout rate with 33.6% among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched this season.

Paul Skenes discusses his rapid and unexpected success over the past year

Paul Skenes made his major league debut on May 11 after becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He helped LSU win the 2023 Men's College World Series.

Discussing about his journey, Skenes said (via Pittsburgh Tribune-Review):

“You definitely can’t expect it. I think it’s just a product of being present and doing the work that it takes, that kind of thing. The expectation was definitely to win the national championship when we were there. That was the only thing that we wanted to do."

“But in terms of getting drafted first overall, getting called up whenever I was called up, and now the All-Star game, there were no expectations for me. It’s kind of just about doing as much as I can and allowing others to make the decision for me.”

So far in the 2024 season, Paul Skenes has a 5-0 record with 78 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings.