PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes finally got the kind of day a lot of kids picture long before they ever reach the majors: facing the team they grew up loving.
On Sunday at PNC Park, the Fullerton, Calif., native took the mound against the Angels for the first time in his career and handled the moment just fine. Skenes delivered 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the Pirates’ 1-0 win, allowing four hits and striking out two over 87 pitches.
The matchup carried a little extra weight for Skenes, who was raised as a die-hard Angels fan. He met Garret Anderson as a kid and later crossed paths with Mike Trout last season as a big leaguer. Once the game started, though, the emotions never got in the way of the outing.
Skenes navigated a quick first inning even after Wade Meckler lined a two-out single. In the second, he issued a walk with two outs, but he escaped without damage and kept the Angels off the board with the kind of weak contact that has become his calling card.
The third and fourth innings followed the same script. The Angels managed a few scattered hits, but none of them turned into anything meaningful. Henry Davis gave Skenes some breathing room with a solo homer in the bottom of the third, putting Pittsburgh in front 1-0.
Skenes’ velocity wasn’t at its usual peak, but he still reached 98-plus mph twice and leaned on his sinker effectively.
In the fifth, with his pitch count past 80, Skenes ran into his biggest jam. He hit Zach Neto with two outs, then watched Trout drive a ball into the left-center gap. Neto tried to score as Oneil Cruz’s throw went to second, but Brandon Lowe fired home and cut him down, preserving the shutout and keeping the Angels from breaking through.
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