The New York Yankees would sure love to have Paul Skenes on their roster.
Turns out, they have the next best thing, at least by how one statistic tells the story.
And it’s definitely not the pitcher you’d be expecting.
This Skenes comparison? It’s to soft-tossing lefty Ryan Yarbrough.
Yarbrough dominated the Dodgers in his last start in a way no other pitcher has, besides Skenes.
"Offering a sellout crowd of 54,031 little to cheer about, Yarbrough generated 17 swings and misses, seven of which came on his sweeper," MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch wrote. "Only the Pirates’ Paul Skenes (18) has induced the Dodgers to swing and miss more in a game this season — and suffice it to say, no one is mistaking Yarbrough’s arsenal for Skenes’."
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That’s a statistic that speaks to the beauty of baseball.
Skenes is a fireballing, massive, right-handed ace and face of the franchise for the Pirates.
Yarbrough is a journeyman that no one even expected to be starting games for the Yankees this year, and he does it as a finesse lefty who pretty much throws sidearm and brings nowhere the heat of Skenes.
Yet here they are, both inducing the best lineup in baseball to swing and miss, a lot.
Dodgers star Max Muncy shared with reporters after Yarbrough’s start what makes him so tough to hit.
“He might only be throwing mid-80s, but it feels so much harder than that,” Muncy said. “He’s a tall guy; he’s got long arms, so he’s got good extension. He’s got the funky delivery with the low slot, so it always makes his ball feel a lot harder than what it actually is.”
You’ve gotta love baseball.
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