Most 22-year-olds are still trying to figure out what to do with their lives.
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes, meanwhile, appears to have sports betting oddsmakers scrambling to figure out what to do with their lives, now.
And that’s due to the absurd talent and play of Skenes.
For a frame of reference, Skenes’ play has made the typically irrelevant Pittsburgh Pirates a national talking point.
Take, for instance, all the chatter surrounding the Pirates after Skenes became just the fourth pitcher since 1893 to record 10 or more strikeouts without giving up a single hit.
It’s the stuff of record books — literally:
Here are all 11 strikeouts by Paul Sꓘenes in case you missed it.
Play of the Day presented by @STIHLUSA pic.twitter.com/inUgh4YsN7
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) July 11, 2024
Skenes’ unusual dominance and command of the game at such a young age has been a great deal of fun for the Pirates and their fans — but not so much for oddsmakers.
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As ESPN reports, Skenes’ dominance is “disrupting” a number of betting sites that don’t know what to do with the red-hot rookie.
On Thursday, Skenes’ 11 strikeout day (the above video clip, wherein which the Pirates beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0) almost single-handedly made Skenes a top competitor for the prestigious National League Cy Young award, which is given annually to the league’s best pitcher.
As ESPN put it, that swing for Skenes was “a remarkable one-day change not often seen at sportsbooks.”
The only two pitchers with better odds than the 22-year-old Skenes are multi-time All-Star veteran players. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zach Wheeler and Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale are the two prohibitive co-favorites to win the Cy Young.
They are the only two pitchers ahead of Skenes, and both are his seniors by at least a decade.
Of note, Skenes started the year as a long shot to win the Cy Young. Bettors who placed a bet on Skenes before this surge are looking at a potential 200:1 payout.
But while Skenes still has a few notable hurdles to claim a Cy Young, what about the National League Rookie of the Year award?
He has it so locked up, you may not even be able to bet on it at certain sportsbooks.
“I closed the [NL Rookie of the Year] pool after yesterday,” Randy Blum, a Las Vegas baseball oddsmaker told ESPN. “Unless he gets hurt, he’s a lock to win. He’s that good from what we’ve seen so far.”
Further adding to his young legend, Skenes was named the NL starting pitcher in this year’s MLB All-Star Game. He’s just the 5th rookie pitcher to receive such an honor, ever.
“Just being able to say that you started an All-Star Game in the first place is cool,” Skenes told MLB.com. “But getting the opportunity to do it now in my rookie year is really cool, also.
“There are a lot of really good pitchers that have been in the league for a little bit that probably are also deserving. To even be in the conversation is really cool, and obviously, to be named the starter, it’s surreal.”
The MLB All-Star festivities begin today, and will culminate on Tuesday with the All-Star game itself.
