He might be a two-time All-Star and the defending National League Cy Young Award winner, but Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is still a kid at heart. So when the right-hander happened upon a group of Little Leaguers practicing on Monday while he was driving, the 24-year-old stopped and got in a few throws with the stunned players.
Skenes had seen the lights on at Vestal Field in McCandless, Pennsylvania, as members of the Ingomar Franklin Park Little League were practicing, WPXI reported.
“Games were just getting done. Kids were running around the field,” Kevin Wozniak, a father of one of the plauers who was at the ballpark, told the television station. “Scrimmage was starting here. Then out of nowhere, Paul Skenes.
“I think everyone thought we were seeing things. Pretty much in awe. Lots of ‘is that really Paul Skenes?’ And it was.”
“Seeing the smiles on the boys’ faces was just unbelievable,” Eddie Dubis, an Ingomar coach and member of the board of directors who was in attendance, told MLB.com. “They were totally starstruck, in awe of what happened.”
For Skenes, it was a matter of getting back to his roots and rekindling the love he had for the game while he was growing up in California.
“There’s a lot of things that make (baseball) a business and it’s work, it’s a job for us for sure, but on some days more than others, you got to remember you love the game and why you started playing it in the first place,” Skenes told MLB.com. “So, it was good for me to go and visit them.”
The players enjoyed the visit, especially when Skenes signed autographs, WPXI reported.
“Signing bats. Helmets. Signing the forehead. I think one random forehead there as well,” Wozniak told the television station. “Hope his wrist isn’t too tired from all the autographs he gave to the kids last night.”
Skenes was on the phone with his girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, when he ambled over to the field, WPXI reported. The actress and former LSU gymnast posted a snippet of a video on TikTok, captioning it, “remembering your MLB boyfriend is just a boy because what do you mean he saw a Little League team practicing while driving home and pulled over to show me and play catch with them.”
@livvy all while pitching against the dodgers tmr😭 #fyp #mlb #baseball ♬ original sound - ᯓ★
Skenes said he hesitated about going to the field, but then he recalled meeting one of his favorite players, Angels outfielder Garret Anderson, MLB.com reported. Practices ended quickly when the players saw Skenes.
“I’m not very good at being incognito,” Skenes joked. “Should have worn some sunglasses and a fake mustache.”
The Pirates should have gone underground the following night. While Skenes left the game after six innings with seven strikeout and the game tied 2-2, the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers pounced on Pittsburgh’s bullpen in the seventh inning, scoring 10 runs en route to a 13-2 victory at PNC Park.
Skenes did not figure in the decision. Reliever Wilber Dotel (1-1) was tagged with the loss.
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