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Pirates to call up top pitching prospect Skenes

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Pirates to call up top pitching prospect Skenes


The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up star prospect Paul Skenes, and the hard-throwing right-hander is expected to debut Saturday at PNC Park against the Chicago Cubs.

Considered the best pitching talent in a generation, 21-year-old Skenes will arrive in Pittsburgh after dominating Triple-A, allowing three earned runs in 27⅓ innings and striking out 45 batters.

After one of the finest seasons ever for a college pitcher, Skenes went to the Pirates with the No. 1 pick in the July 2023 draft and signed for $9.2 million, the largest bonus for an amateur in baseball history. Pittsburgh limited his workload after a taxing junior season at LSU in which he struck out 209 hitters and walked just 20 in 122⅔ innings while going 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA.

Although evaluators believed Skenes to be major-league-ready when Pittsburgh drafted him, the Pirates entered 2024 wanting to build him up slowly and avoid a potential midseason pullback on his innings. By limiting Skenes’ pitch count in the minor leagues — he hasn’t thrown more than 75 pitches in a Triple-A start this year — the Pirates hope he can join a rotation that also includes hard-throwing rookie Jared Jones for the remainder of the season.

How to handle elite pitching prospects has long been a mystery for front offices, particularly with the proliferation of arm injuries to hard-throwing starters this season. The two closest facsimiles to Skenes in terms of college production and major league readiness were Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg and Cubs right-hander Mark Prior, both of whom were brilliant for flashes in the big leagues but ultimately had their careers shortened by arm injuries.

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At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, Skenes assumes the mantle as the hardest-throwing starter in the game — and perhaps the highest-velocity rotation member in baseball history. At Triple-A Indianapolis, Skenes’ four-seam fastball has reached over 102.1 mph. He also mixed in a splinker — a combination splitter and sinker thrown by Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran — at 95 mph, complemented it with a slider in the mid-to-high 80s, added a softer changeup that runs at 88 mph, and occasionally turned to a slower curve.

Although the Pirates currently occupy last place in the National League Central, that is due more to their hitting woes than to their strong set of arms. Few starters in the NL have been as impressive as 22-year-old Jones, and with Skenes joining veterans Mitch Keller, Martin Perez and Bailey Falter, the Pirates now have arguably the best rotation in the division.



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Game Preview: 12.20.25 at Montreal Canadiens | Pittsburgh Penguins

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Game Preview: 12.20.25 at Montreal Canadiens | Pittsburgh Penguins


Game Notes

Quick Hits

Bryan Rust (465) is one point shy of tying Jake Guentzel (466) for the 11th most points in franchise history.

The Penguins enter tomorrow’s game ranked third in the NHL in power-play percentage (30.4%).

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Erik Karlsson has 43 points (11G-32A) in 53 career games versus the Canadiens. His 11 goals versus them are tied with his teammate Kris Letang (11) for the most among all active blueliners.

Sidney Crosby’s next even-strength goal will surpass Phil Esposito (448) for sole possession of the ninth-most even-strength goals in NHL history.

Anthony Mantha, a Longueuil, Quebec native, has 19 points (11G-8A) in 24 career games against the Canadiens. He has four game-winning goals against Montreal, the most against any one opponent in his career.



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2 killed in Carrick shooting on Linnview Avenue, Pittsburgh authorities say

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2 killed in Carrick shooting on Linnview Avenue, Pittsburgh authorities say



Two men were killed in a shooting along Linnview Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood on Thursday, authorities said. 

The shooting happened around 5:15 p.m. on the 1200 block of Linnview Avenue, according to a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson.

Two men are dead after a shooting on Linnview Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood on Dec. 18, 2025. 

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(Photo: KDKA)


When first responders arrived at the scene, they found two men with multiple gunshot wounds on the sidewalk about 10 feet apart. Both men were taken to local hospitals in grave condition, but they were pronounced dead when they arrived, Pittsburgh Public Safety’s spokesperson said. The victims were 23 and 27 years old. However, the victims have not been identified as of Thursday night.

Officials said the suspect fled on foot down Nobles Lane. No other information was released about the suspect. No arrests have been made as of Thursday night.

Neighbors told KDKA they heard at least six gunshots. Investigators at the scene recovered two firearms, the spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety said. Police are investigating. 

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“At one point, I heard what sounded like fireworks,” one neighbor said. 



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Pittsburgh natives Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor move to Mt. Lebanon

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Pittsburgh natives Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor move to Mt. Lebanon



Pittsburgh-area natives Joe Manganiello and Caitlin O’Connor are returning to their roots. 

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Manganiello, from Mt. Lebanon, and O’Connor, from Uniontown, have bought a home in the South Hills after getting engaged this summer

On Pittsburgh Today Live on Thursday, O’Connor talked about the couple’s move from Hollywood to Mt. Lebanon. 

“It’s so nice to be home,” she said. 

While Manganiello and O’Connor are happy to be back in southwestern Pennsylvania, O’Connor said it’ll be a bigger adjustment for the beloved chihuahua Bubbles. From the Pittsburgh Steelers fashion show to the gala celebrating the new airport terminal, the tiny dog is seemingly always in Manganiello’s arms.

“Bubbles is a California girl. She really doesn’t like the cold. We wrap her in a blanket and she has many, many puffy coats. I bought her a Steelers puffy to put in her stocking, so we’re going to see how she does over the next few months. But it’s not that long. It’s not forever. Winter will come and go,” O’Connor said. 

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And they all got quite the Pittsburgh welcome. O’Connor said it snowed when they were moving in, and Manganiello was outside shoveling for over two hours. She said she’s getting him a snowblower for Christmas.

The couple won’t be braving the Pittsburgh winter for too long. O’Connor said they’ll soon be off to South Africa, where Manganiello will film “One Piece” for Netflix. He’ll star as the villain Crocodile in the popular Japanese manga series. 

“Bubbles will be in a better state,” O’Connor joked, saying it’s currently summer in South Africa. “I just bring Bubbles to set and hang out. It’s really the best job.” 



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