Friday’s pitching duel at Fenway Park pits the Boston Red Sox against rising star Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, with Skenes serving as the NL Cy Young frontrunner and a dominant presence on the mound.
Skenes, the Pirates’ elite right-hander and the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft, owns a 2.02 ERA across 50 career starts. This season he’s among the game’s best, leading the league in ERA (2.07), FIP (2.40), ERA+ (205), and the fewest home runs per nine innings (0.5). He lightweighted his fastball at an average of 98.1 mph, and opponents are hitting just .206 against it. His breaking ball and off-speed offerings have been even tougher, with hitters batting .143 against his sweeper and .096 against his changeup. He also deploys a splinker, a hybrid between a cutter and a sinker, to keep hitters off balance.
Boston manager Alex Cora didn’t shy away from the challenge, calling Skenes “a great pitcher” and likening him to the kind of ace who can carry a rotation. Cora drew parallels to Zack Wheeler and noted that Skenes is part of a Pirates staff that has been thriving behind him. He compared Skenes’ early impact to Jacob deGrom’s dominant rookie season with the Mets in 2014, underscoring the kind of ceiling Skenes has shown since turning pro.
On the Red Sox side, Friday’s starter has not yet been named. Payton Tolle, a top prospect in the system, is among the candidates, and Boston could opt for an opener followed by a bullpen game depending on the matchup and bullpen availability.
What to watch: Skenes has not just the velocity but the movement and sequencing that have made him nearly unhittable at times. His ability to mix a high-velocity fastball with a deceptive changeup and a sharp sweeper will test Boston’s lineup, particularly at a hitter-friendly venue like Fenway. For the Red Sox, it’s a test of depth and strategy—whether they lean into a traditional starter or try an opener to set the table for a bullpen effort against one of the game’s most electric young stars.
Summary: Friday’s game at Fenway offers a marquee showcase of Skenes’ rapid rise and the Red Sox’s evolving pitching plans as Boston looks to slow down a pitcher who has quickly become one of baseball’s premier arms. If Skenes continues to execute at this level, it’s a matchup that could shape the tone of the series and highlight the ongoing rise of one of the sport’s most exciting young talents.