What Pirates RHP Paul Skenes did in game against Rockies is something every youth baseball player and travel ball parent needs to see
Former LSU Tigers star RHP Paul Skenes delivered a subtle but important lesson in the Pittsburgh Pirates win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night, and it’s a lesson that every youth baseball player needs to learn.
Former LSU Tigers superstar RHP Paul Skenes did something subtle on Tuesday night in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ win over the Colorado Rockies that every youth baseball player and travel ball parent needs to see.
Skenes, who is in his third season with the Pirates, took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Rockies.
The no-hitter, however, was broken up when outifielder Oneil Cruz couldn’t make a diving catch on Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak’s well-placed single.
After the inning, Skenes waited for Cruz to get to the dugout to show him some love for the effort.
Paul Skenes reminds us all what an elite teammate in pro sports looks like
That’s what being an elite teammate at the highest level of baseball looks like.
There’s no doubt that Cruz wanted to make that play for Skenes, but not every play is going to be made. That’s baseball. Every player in the Hall of Fame had similar plays that weren’t made.
Skenes, though, knows the Pirates need Cruz to be at his best — which means playing free and with confidence — for the franchise to have any chance to make some noise this season. The move to wait for Cruz after the inning and show some love was a perfect way for Skenes to make sure his teammate didn’t spend any more time worrying about a play that wasn’t made.
I’ve watched hundreds of travel and youth baseball games. Those games can get heated and emotional. Parents will give other parents the cold shoulder because of a play that wasn’t made by a kid, or players will ignore other players in the dugout after a tough inning because of the influence of their parents. It can be a nasty world where the plot gets lost.
There isn’t anything more important in baseball than being a good teammate. If you’re a great player, and you’re a great teammate, everything else tends to take care of itself a lot easier.
It’s also the only way any team has a chance to accomplish something special. To win a championship, everyone on the team has to be on the same page, pulling for each other and willing to go to war for each other.
Kudos to Skenes for unknowingly teaching us all a lesson.