Pittsburg, PA
Pirates’ Paul Skenes Misses Top Spot in Rookie Rankings
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and for as Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes was in his first season in the big leagues, he wasn’t the only rookie to have a stellar season.
MLB.com’s Jim Callis ranked the rookies from the 2024 season based on their long-term value and had Skenes at No. 3. The Pirates ace trailed Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio who was No. 1 and San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill at No. 2.
Callis noted how good all three players were in 2024 and how one could make an argument for either of the three without receiving much pushback.
“You could list those players in any order and easily support your argument,” Callis writes. “The call here is the position players over Skenes because of the fragility of pitchers, and Chourio over Merrill because he’s a year younger and has more upside. It will be great fun to watch how their careers play out over the next 15-20 years.”
Skenes had a historic rookie season, going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA over his 23 starts and he set a Pirates rookie record with 170 strikeouts. Skenes was the first pitcher in MLB history to have an ERA below 2.20 and over 150 strikeouts in their first 21 games and the second pitcher since 1913 to have an ERA below 2.00 through their first 22 appearances.
Skenes is a finalist for the NL Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young award, making him the first pitcher to be in the top three for both awards since Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins in 2013. The Pirates star is the fifth pitcher in MLB history to be a finalist for both awards, and the late great Los Angeles Dodgers ace Fernando Valenzuela is the only pitcher to win both when he accomplished the feat in 1981.
Skenes was also the first rookie pitcher since Dodgers right-hander Hideo Nomo in 1995 to start an All-Star game.
“Among rookies age 22 or younger who worked at least 125 innings, Skenes posted the best ERA+ (214), the best ERA (1.96) and the second-best K/BB ratio (5.3) since the lively ball was introduced in 1920, the third-best strikeout rate (11.5 per nine innings) and the sixth-best hit rate (6.4 per nine),” Callis wrote.
Skenes’ teammate, rookie right-hander Jared Jones also made the list at No. 15.
The winner of the NL Rookie of the Year will be announced on Monday at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network. Skenes, Chourio and Merrill are the three finalists for the award in the National League.
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Pittsburgh Regional Transit has started to install its ReadyFare vending machines as the agency prepares to roll out its new fare payment system.
PRT said it’s working to roll out its new ReadyFare system and has started to install the new machine at some of its light-rail stations.
The new machines recently were installed at PRT’s Gateway station in Downtown Pittsburgh.
PRT said that as it prepares to roll out the new system, current ConnectCard holders will receive a card in the mail with instructions on how to request a ReadyFare card.
The new ReadyFare cards will be able to be purchased at the new machines for $1.
PRT said that riders will be able to transfer any balances they have on a ConnectCard to the new ReadyFare cards using an online balance transfer form.
Pittsburg, PA
About 5 pounds of bees removed from Acrisure Stadium scaffolding ahead of Morgan Wallen concerts
Acrisure Stadium is buzzing with excitement ahead of the back-to-back Morgan Wallen concerts. Except it’s not the fans generating all the excitement — it’s about 5 pounds of honeybees.
The Fine Family Apiary in Monongahela said it was contacted on Wednesday about a swarm of bees clustered on the stage scaffolding. The apiary put the swarm in a “nuc box” and took them home before moving the bees into full-size equipment.
Owner Al Fine estimates the swarm weighed about 4 to 5 pounds and consisted of 12,000 to 15,000 bees. All said, it took less than two hours to get the job done.
Why do bees swarm?
Swarming is how honeybees propagate, Fine explained. According to Penn State Extension, during swarming, the queen and about half the workers leave their home to establish a new nest. The bees will form a temporary cluster, hanging out while scouts search the surrounding area for a more permanent home in hollow spaces like tree cavities or, occasionally, the walls of a home.
Swarms can stick around for several hours or days until they’re ready to move, Penn State Extension says. Meanwhile, the colony left behind is temporarily without a leader until a new queen is established.
With the swarm at Acrisure Stadium removed, Morgan Wallen’s show is ready to go on. The country music megastar will bring his I’m The Problem Tour to Pittsburgh on June 5 and June 6, along with multiple acts like Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley.
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