Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes on Monday capped a remarkable season by winning National League (NL) Rookie of the Year by a wide margin, while the New York Yankees pitcher picked up the American League award.
Skenes was the heralded fireballer who equaled the hype, to the point he started the All-Star Game just two months after making his big league debut, while Gil was an afterthought for the Yankees, earning a spot in their rotation only when ace Gerrit Cole was injured in spring training.
Skenes won by a wide margin over San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio. Gil edged Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser to take the American League honor, with Yankees catcher Austin Wells finishing third.
Photo: AP
It is the first time the rookie awards went to two pitchers since 2011, when Tampa Bay Rays starter Jeremy Hellickson and Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel won.
“I was super pleased with what happened this year in terms of going out there and competing, but there’s more work to be done for sure,” said Skenes, who planned to celebrate with his girlfriend, Louisiana State University gymnast and influencer Livvy Dunne.
The Pirates and their fans were excited from the moment the team selected Skenes with the top pick in last year’s amateur draft. He did not make his major league debut until May 11, but the right-hander was such an immediate sensation he was selected to start the All-Star Game for the NL on July 16.
The 22-year-old Skenes finished 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts. He struck out 170 and walked 32 in 133 innings.
He said he is looking forward to pitching a full season next year.
“I think it starts now. The post-season is flying by and I can’t wait for spring training to start already,” Skenes said. “I think the biggest thing is going to be proving it over a full season next year also.”
Skenes received 23 first-place votes and finished with 136 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, while Merrill had seven firsts and 104 points. They were listed on all entries.
Skenes, who is also a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award, is the second Pirates player to win the award after Jason Bay in 2004.
Gil received 15 first-place votes and 106 points, while Cowser got 13 firsts and 101 points.
Taiwanese women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei and Australian teenager Maya Joint on Tuesday eased into the Eastbourne Open quarter-finals in England as Hsieh prepares for the Wimbledon Championships next week. Four-time Wimbledon women’s doubles champion Hsieh and 19-year-old Joint fired two aces and converted five of eight break points to defeat Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Poland’s Katarzyna Piter 6-3, 6-3 in 58 minutes on the grass court. Hsieh and Joint are today to face fourth seeds Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who advanced on Monday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Quinn Gleason of the US and
BEAT THE HEAT: A brutal heat wave in the US has made cooling breaks standard. Dortmund’s coach said the weather could shape the destiny of the tournament Chelsea on Tuesday beat Esperance of Tunisia 3-0 to set up a FIFA Club World Cup last-16 tie against SL Benfica, who earlier defeated Bayern Munich 1-0, as furnace-link heat and the threat of thunder and lightning wreak havoc at the tournament. Elsewhere, minnows Auckland City claimed a memorable draw against Boca Juniors, while Los Angeles bowed out of the tournament with a stalemate against Flamengo. In Charlotte, Andreas Schjelderup scored the only goal for Benfica in their Group C clash with Bayern in front of 33,287 fans, finishing first-time from a cutback by his fellow Norwegian Fredrik Aursnes in the 13th
REUNION: Former Barcelona players Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Miami coach Javier Mascherano are to face their former coach Luis Enrique Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi faces a tantalizing reunion with former club Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup last 16 after both sides on Monday progressed to the knockout phase. Miami drew 2-2 with Palmeiras to go through second in Group A, after the Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to seal top spot. They now face an all-Brazil clash against Botafogo, who lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid, but progressed from Group B in second at the expense of the Spaniards. Champions of Europe PSG won the group with a 2-0 victory over Seattle Sounders, paving the
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
RSS