The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates are poised to continue their weekend series tonight at 9 p.m. ET, in what promises to be a captivating matchup. The spotlight will be on Los Angeles' Shohei Ohtani and Pittsburgh's rookie ace Paul Skenes, two players whose budding rivalry has caught the attention of baseball enthusiasts.
This game represents only the second career meeting between Ohtani and Skenes. Their first encounter occurred in early June at PNC Park, where Skenes managed to strike out Ohtani in their initial showdown. However, Ohtani soon retaliated with a 415-foot home run in their next face-off, followed by a solid single in their final at-bat. That single was notable not only for its precision but also for being Ohtani's hardest-hit ball of the evening, clocking in at a staggering 107.6 mph exit velocity.
Currently, Ohtani is on the sideline as a pitcher due to recovery, but he continues to deliver impressive performances as a designated hitter. In fact, he is striving to become the first full-time designated hitter to win a Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. Ohtani has gone 9 for 18 against pitches of 98 mph or harder this season, with an average exit velocity of 99.8 mph. Nearly 82% of Ohtani's balls in play exceed a 95 mph exit velocity, emphasizing his powerful batting skills. However, his 40% whiff rate on pitches of 98 mph or harder is above the league average of 24.7%, making his face-off with Skenes particularly intriguing.
Paul Skenes, on the other hand, has been making headlines with his blazing fastball. His average four-seam fastball velocity stands at 98.9 mph, ranking him fourth in the majors for this category. Only Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran, and Ryan Helsley throw harder. Skenes is ambitiously attempting to become the first player drafted to start the All-Star Game and aims to secure both the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards in the same season. To date, Fernando Valenzuela is the only player to have won both honors in the same year, making Skenes’ pursuit all the more historic.
As the Dodgers seek to solidify their position in the National League West, they hold a 2 1/2-game lead and boast a 98.4% chance of reaching the playoffs. The Pirates, however, find themselves 4 1/2 games back from the final wild-card spot, grappling to keep their postseason hopes alive amid a challenging five-game losing streak. This evening’s game will mark the last regular-season meeting between the Dodgers and Pirates this year unless they clash in the playoffs. The next time these two teams are scheduled to face each other will be in April 2025.
Reflecting on his previous encounters with Ohtani, Skenes remarked, “I like to call that big on big because I obviously beat him a couple of times earlier. I think that was the right pitch to throw there, he's just a pretty darn good player. Stuff like that is going to happen." His candid acknowledgment of Ohtani’s prowess underscores the mutual respect between these two competitors and sets the stage for yet another thrilling confrontation.
Fans and analysts alike will be closely watching tonight’s game, eager to see how the strategic dynamics unfold between Ohtani’s batting brilliance and Skenes’ pitching power. It is these moments of high-caliber competition and sportsmanship that continue to captivate and inspire the world of baseball.