Skenes' Spectacular Showdown: Yamamoto Falls as Dodgers' Drought Deepens

Under the glittering lights of Chavez Ravine, an epic duel was set to unfold – a clash of titans where the armament was not of sword and shield but of fastballs and curveballs, swings and misses. Here in Los Angeles, the National League’s cream of the crop in pitching prowess were to square off in a battle that well and truly lived up to, if not soared passed, the anticipated spectacle.

Enter the young wunderkind from Pittsburgh, a 22-year-old whirlwind of raw talent and determination named Paul Skenes. With roots in Fullerton and a ferocious ascent that began at El Toro High, Skenes isn’t only a skilled pitcher; he’s a spectacle, a showpiece of America’s past time, crafted with skill and honed with relentless dedication.

Coming off a Rookie of the Year season, this was Skenes’ second dance at Dodger Stadium, and what a dance it was. Harnessing what Dodgers manager Dave Roberts lovingly called “plus-plus stuff” – his very own aces boasting powerful arsenals – Skenes’ arsenal was out in full force. His arsenal was a blend of brutal destroys your average fastball – which he evidently showcased in a stunning 99.4-mph strikeout of Freddie Freeman in the first. Added to this were dazzling curveballs and an abruptly introduced ‘splinker’ that had Roberts singing praises pre-game.

But the Dodgers, undeterred, set out to counter. They brought forth their ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whose own pedigree needed no introduction. Despite the backdrop of struggles and Yamamoto’s night of uncharacteristic wobbles, Skenes fashioned an evening where the Dodgers could scarcely muster an offensive ignition.

There, on the mound, stood Skenes, throwing 6⅓ scoreless innings, holding the mighty Dodgers to a 3-0 loss. No runs for the home team meant no reprieve for the ace, Yamamoto, who, on this night, succumbed to yielding four walks – his command slightly off, yet his season ERA remained an NL-low 1.06.

A few minor disheartments aside, the Pirates, through their rising star, demonstrated that not everything could be swayed by the giants of the league. Tonight we craft a narrative of resilience, a testament to hard work triumphing over naivety, and a reminder that in the world of baseball, no matter the name on the back of a jersey or the ERA on paper, every game is a new chapter, every inning a chance to rewrite legacies.

LEARN MORE. LEARN MORE

Billed as a matchup between the National League’s best arms, Friday night’s pitchers duel lived up to expectations.

Enter 22-year-old flamethrower Paul Skenes. He grew up in Fullerton. He began his meteoric rise at nearby El Toro High.

Advertisement

Coming off his rookie of the year campaign, in his second start at Dodger Stadium, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander harnessed the “plus-plus stuff” — emphasized by his 99.4-mph first-inning strikeout of Freddie Freeman, dazzling curveballs and stand out “splinker” — that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts marveled at before the game.

Read more: Shohei Ohtani’s struggles continue as Dodgers are swept by Cubs

Skenes, the No. 1 selection in the 2023 draft, tossed 6⅓ scoreless frames to send the Dodgers to a 3-0 loss on Friday night. The Dodgers never drummed up run support for their ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, succumbing to a shutout for the second time and falling into a three-game losing streak for the first time since last August.

“I think that he’s one of the best in the game,” Roberts said about Skenes, who generated 18 swings and misses. “Tonight we really couldn’t muster much.”

Advertisement

Freeman hit Skenes’ only mistake of the day — a hanging curveball over the center of the plate — into the right field corner for a double in the fourth inning. Freeman advanced to third on an error on the play, but being 90 feet away from home didn’t matter. Skenes set the next three batters down.

In the fifth inning, after Andy Pages reached on a double for the second time in the game, Skenes struck out Shohei Ohtani on a full-count curveball that sent the Dodgers star into a twisting, off-balance backswing and had Pirates catcher Henry Davis pumping his fist toward the mound in celebration.

Skenes, a highlight for the struggling Pirates (11-16), simply walked back to the dugout — his performance was business-like, giving up five hits, while striking out nine and walking zero over 108 pitches. Roberts said the Dodgers (16-10) wouldn’t be able to “paper-knife” Skenes, pointing at how difficult it is to rally hits against the 6-foot-6 right-hander.

Advertisement

And Roberts was right. Pages had three hits and Freeman two, but the Dodgers tallied just one more against Skenes.. The Pirates bullpen gave up just one hit during the final 2-2/3 frames.

“Certain nights, we just can’t put a complete ballgame together with starting pitching, hitting, timely hitting, all that stuff,” Roberts said. “It just hasn’t been synced up.”

Michael Conforto, who ended the night 0 for 4 with three strikeouts — two of which came against Skenes — said the Dodgers need to stretch together a hitting run to get out of the team’s funk — now 8-10 since starting the season 8-0. Conforto is hitting .187 after hitting .237 for the Giants a year ago.

Advertisement

“We’ve definitely had our struggles,” Conforto said, adding that he believes hitting is contagious and that the lineup will begin to rally. “There’s a lot of great hitters in this lineup. A lot of us haven’t gotten it going yet, and it’s only a matter of time before it all starts clicking.”

It wasn’t so long ago that Yamamoto was in a similar position to Skenes.

Three days after he turned 19 years old, the Orix Buffaloes thrust Yamamoto into big-league action. Much like Skenes in Pittsburgh, his youth did not hinder his success — Yamamoto building a trophy case that included three Triple Crowns of pitching and three Sawamura awards (the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young) before heading to the U.S.

Advertisement

“The bottom line is that he has shown to be the best pitcher in a particular league multiple times,” Roberts said before Yamamoto toed the mound.

But Yamamoto didn’t have his best stuff against the Pirates. He struggled with command, issuing four walks for the first time since Aug. 2, 2022 — against the Seibu Lions in Japan — and lasted five innings and 94 pitches (54 of which came in the first two innings).

Roberts said Yamamoto’s outing was “uncharacteristic,” pointing to the Japanese right-hander’s struggles with locating his fastball against Pirates — leading to hard contact on get-me-over offspeed pitches such as the one Oneil Cruz lined for a 117.6-mph RBI single to make it a 2-0 lead in the fifth.

“I think tonight, overall, he just typically has great command and tonight he just wasn’t as pinpoint,” Roberts said.

Advertisement

Both of Pittsburgh’s fifth-inning runs, however, were unearned. Third baseman Max Muncy sailed a ball wide to first base after collecting a ground ball near the foul line, enabling Davis to advance to second. Three hits later, the Pirates were up three.

“In a game like this, there is a reason,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter when asked about his command. “I was feeling I’m getting better, actually, as a matter of fact, in the early phase of the game. But today, I couldn’t bring it back to my normal stuff.”

Yamamoto still struck out five and kept the Dodgers in the contest despite being below his best. His earned-run average rose a few points but remained at an NL-low 1.06, second to only Texas Rangers right-hander Tyler Mahle.

Injury updates

Roberts said the pitching staff “dodged a bullet” with Blake Snell’s latest injury update. Snell, shut down from his throwing program Wednesday, underwent an MRI on Thursday morning — which came back with no new findings of damage in his left shoulder.

Advertisement

Snell’s next steps likely will include an injection, Roberts said, before he resumes a throwing program. Before heading to the 15-day injured list on April 6, Snell held a 1-0 record with a 2.00 ERAthrough two starts.

“I don’t know the extent of the length of time,” Roberts said, “but just knowing that there’s no damage is certainly a big relief.”

Roberts also provided updates on bullpen arms Blake Treinen and Michael Kopech. Treinen (low-grade right forearm sprain) has yet to begin a throwing program, while Kopech (right shoulder impingement) — who joined the Dodgers last year in a trade-deadline deal with the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals — tossed a 30-pitch bullpen session Thursday and will do the same Monday before a potential minor-league rehab assignment.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.