Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes might be one of the best pitchers in baseball. But when the 23-year-old right-hander’s time in MLB is done, Skenes has an idea of what he wants to do next: landscaping.
Ahead of his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, Skenes took to the field at PNC Park to chat with the grounds crew, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles, staying there for more than 20 minutes. The Pirates went on to get a 1-0 win over the Cardinals.
Hiles asked Skenes about the moment after the game. The pitcher said that he was bored, and decided to head out there during the hours before his start. He also added that, per Hiles, “he would love to cut grass professionally whenever his baseball days are over.”
It’s common enough for professional athletes to dip their toe into other interests. Several athletes have tried their hand at music; Nikola Jokić famously loves his horses. But it’s a little unusual that Skenes, who is well on his way to making hundreds of millions of dollars, wants nothing more than to sit on a riding mower once his time in baseball is over.
Skenes’ post-career plans are also unexpected because his MLB stardom is just beginning. The second-year pitcher is crushing it once again, earning an ERA of 2.03 and a 0.182 batting average against, both the second-best in MLB behind Houston Astros ace Hunter Brown. Much of Skenes’ strength is in his consistency: He’s pitched 111 innings (fourth-most in the league), has notched 115 strikeouts (ninth-most) and has a WHIP of 0.92 (sixth-most).
Skenes pitched five innings in Tuesday’s narrow win, allowing five hits but notching five strikeouts to keep the Cardinals scoreless. A sacrifice fly from Pirates catcher Henry Davis in the eighth inning turned out to be the difference in the 1-0 victory.
Despite Skenes’ lights-out pitching, Pittsburgh has been struggling this season. The Pirates are 38-50, sitting at the very bottom of the NL Central, with three more series heading into the All-Star break.
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