Pirates pitching impresses in Spring Breakout game
On Thursday night, baseball fans around the country tuned in to the Pirates and Orioles Spring Breakout game to watch some of the best prospects in baseball face off. The night started with Paul Skenes, the top pitching prospect in the game, throwing three pitches over 100 miles per hour past Enrique Badfield Jr. It was just the start of an impressive night for Pirates pitching.
After quickly retiring Badfield Jr., Skenes' next challenge was the best prospect in baseball, Jackson Holliday. The Pirates righty struck Holliday out on six pitches before Connor Norby grounded out to third to end the first inning.
While Skenes shined, he was not the only Pirates prospect who impressed. Following his departure, Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco, Khristian Curtis, Patrick Reilly, and Bubba Chandler each pitched a scoreless inning. In that group Barco was the only pitcher who allowed a hit.
Additionally, the Pirates' talented arms struck out nine Orioles batters on their way to a 3-1 win. As the Pirates' pitching factory shined, Reilly was the talk of social media. The former fifth-round pick struck out three batters using a plus slider and fastball that can reach the upper 90s.
The Pirate's impressive night on the mound showed why the future is bright, and Skenes did not hide his excitement when talking with the media postgame.
“ We are going to be good for a while, which is cool to see,” Skenes said. “ The first wave of guys that go up are going to be really good, and we have a stockpile of guys that are going to come up right after it. I don’t know if people realize how good we really are.”
With Skenes and a group of pitchers eager to prove themselves inching closer to the majors, the Pirates are in good hands.
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