Paul Skenes Took a No-Hitter Into the Seventh and Still Dominated, but One Swing Changed Everything

Paul Skenes was absolutely dealing Tuesday night at PNC Park. The Pirates ace had the Colorado Rockies completely helpless through six perfect innings, striking out his first six batters and facing the minimum through seven batters. Ten strikeouts. Zero walks. A no-hitter that felt inevitable.

Then Mickey Moniak stepped up with one out in the seventh and ended the dream with a single.

The Perfection Almost Lasted

Here's what made Skenes' performance even more ridiculous: before Moniak's clean single, the only thing that broke the perfect game was a hit batter. Troy Johnston took a 2-1 pitch on the left foot in the fifth inning, but he got caught trying to steal second anyway, so the inning was over. That's it. That was the damage.

Skenes threw 62 of 89 pitches for strikes through seven innings. Let that sink in. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner had the Rockies looking completely lost. Willi Castro tried bunting to start the third, but Skenes fielded it cleanly and threw him out. Only three Rockies even managed to get the ball to the outfield before Moniak's hit, and none came close to dropping safely.

Moniak's hit was a sinking line drive to left-center that bounced in front of center fielder Oneil Cruz. It was the only ball that found grass, and it happened to end one of the most dominant performances of the season.

Another Historic Night for a Historic Pitcher

After the hit, Skenes retired the next two batters to preserve the 2-0 lead. The Pirates went on to win 3-1.

What makes this performance even crazier? According to ESPN research, Skenes is the only pitcher this season with multiple no-hit bids of at least six innings. He's 23 years old and he's already doing things that most pitchers will never do in their entire careers.

For context, the Pirates haven't thrown a no-hitter since Francisco Córdova and Ricardo Rincón combined for a 10-inning shutout against Houston on July 12, 1997. That's nearly 30 years ago. Skenes came closer than anyone else on this roster ever will.

This is the stuff that reminds you why Skenes won the Cy Young as a young gun. He's not just good. He's historically good.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.