Detroit Tigers slugger Matt Vierling did something that many others have not, and that is hit a home run off Pittsburgh Pirates flamethrower Paul Skenes. Vierling accomplished the feat on Wednesday during Game 2 of the team’s doubleheader.
This was just the second home run Skenes has given up since debuting on May 11. Since his debut, he has been dominating the league, striking out batters left and right.
While Detroit could not pull on the victory, Vierling was still psyched he hit a home run off a pitcher many believe is the face of the franchise. He joined a recent airing of “Foul Territory” to discuss just how good Skenes is:
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“Dude he looked great yesterday. He had good stuff all across the board. I felt like he was throwing the splitter a ton and then the slider and sweeper, and out of nowhere he had 101 [mph] in his back pocket,”
Matt Vierling cannot get over the pitch mix that Paul Skenes has. While everybody knows about his fastball, it has been his offspeed pitches that have caught the attention of Major League batters:
“I don’t know how that happened. I think I just guessed slider first pitch and it kinda backed up a little bit. But, yeah, I’m gonna remember that one just cause how much of a stud that guy is,” Vierling said.
Vierling knows just how lucky he was. He guessed the right pitch and sent it to the stratosphere, and it will be something he holds onto for the rest of his life.
Matt Vierling was one of few Tigers hitters that made Paul Skenes look human
Paul Skenes made light work of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. He went six strong innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out nine batters on his 22nd birthday.
Not only was Skenes’ fastball dialed, but he also had impressive secondary pitches as well. He used his splinter on Wednesday a ton with much success.
Only Matt Vierling, Akil Baddoo and Mark Canha were able to get hits off Skenes. Skenes now holds a 2-0 record with a 2.45 ERA over the course of 22 innings of work.
Skenes is certainly holding his own being the league’s top prospect. It is great to see him performing above expectations, which is typically hard for top prospects to do.
