Paul Skenes on his dominant start in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game

Paul Skenes on his dominant start in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game

Paul, was it any different this year compared to last year? Um, yeah, just a little more comfortable. Um, it was hotter and it was later and the hitters were different. So, that was about it. Were you trying to get three straight punch outs on that one? Yeah, I mean that that’s what the All-Star games for. Every hitter’s trying to hit a home run and we’re trying to strike everybody out. So, um, yeah, I mean just trying to get them out. Didn’t didn’t want to walk anybody. um pissed me off last year. So, I don’t know. It’s a learning experience. Paul, did you think of dealing with a shot yesterday? I did. Um yeah, I mean, he got a little bit tired obviously. Um it’s just kind of, you know, that’s his build, you know, like he’s going to be he produces so much torque. Uh you know, at some point he’s going to get tired. So, when it it was his first round was unbelievable to watch. appreciate those. I mean, what 513 like that was pretty cool to watch. Paul, you said that by the end of the week, you were hoping that Clay and Kershaw wasn’t going to be sick of you. Just what were those interactions like? What was it like to just pitch beforehand, play this game with him? Yeah. Yeah. I I I uh kept my distance a little bit. Our lockers were next to each other. Uh so, I asked him I I didn’t get any time really to talk to him yesterday, but talked to him a little bit today. Um he’s such a class act. like it it’s it’s just so impressive. Uh obviously what he’s done in the game, but the human that he is um you know, we were uh in the in the waiting room before the red carpet today and he had all his kids and watching him be a dad too. It’s just um it it was just it was it was cool. It was a it was a cool experience for me. for uh one of the difference compared to last year is this year you are wearing your unifor how do you feel different I love it yeah I mean this is what I you know I I grew up watching allstar games where they were all wearing their own uniform and it’s kind of one of those like quirky traditional parts of our game cuz I don’t think any of the other uh Allstar games wear their uniform so um really cool and I’m glad you know we went back to that tradition Paul, it seems like you’ve been able to kind of launch into your loss this year. You kind of let let it go in a higher set like this. Yeah. Uh I I don’t know what I was throwing. I was throwing every pitch as hard as I could, hoping that land into the strike zone. Um yeah, got one in. It’s It’s funny though cuz I remember last year I was coming in and some of my teammates were how are you going to throw five? I’m like, we’ll see. It was the same deal that I’ve been throwing the whole time. So, uh I don’t know. It’s just how I’m conditioned. I guess this was max effort though. It it was max I mean grant every every game is max effort. Every pitch is max effort, but um yeah, it was I don’t know emptying the tank a little bit more. Um yeah. Did you think about challenging anything? Challenging anything? Yeah. No, my uh I think I was throwing a fair amount of strikes and my misses were not good. So, uh, I didn’t I didn’t get any of those opportunities. What are you going to remember from this trip, your second one? Uh, I mean, Cruzy in the home run derby. Um, that that didn’t happen last year. That was obviously a once in a lifetime opportunity for him, but for me to be able to watch, um, you know, as his teammate, uh, that was pretty cool. And then just, you know, little little uh a few different faces from last year, obviously Kershaw. um you know, Matthew Boyd, guys like that, Yamamoto. Um they were in there and just being able to interact with them was uh you know, was pretty cool.

Paul Skenes addresses the media following his perfect inning in the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park.

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