Paul Skins (21), a promising Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander who is about to make his big league debut, expressed his strong ambition.
In an interview ahead of the home game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the 11th (Korea time), Skins expressed his thoughts on his big league debut a day later.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” she said, expressing her excitement. “What I’m most looking forward to is to see how my ball will work in the big leagues. I don’t think it’s going to be much different,” she said, displaying strong confidence.
A former No. 1 player in the 2023 draft, he pitched in seven games for Triple-A this season, displaying an overwhelming 0.99 ERA (three earned runs in 27 1/3 innings). He had one home run, eight walks and 45 strikeouts.
“The use of pitches can be slightly different. You can learn from veterans from the same team. I’m looking forward to a fun season,” he continued.
“The most important thing is to get a hold of the two pitches, fastball and slider, and then fast-track the batters. I read the batters’ thoughts over the past two months and learned how to use my pitches to take the batter and the latter half of the game,” he said of what he has learned from the pro.
On top of that, he is using “Splinker,” a new type of ball that combines changeups and curves, and splitter and sinkers.
“I didn’t throw the ball when I was in college, but now I’m throwing it very comfortably. It’s another way to catch a batter,” he said of his splinter.
Having spent his first professional season in Triple-A this year, he said, “I focused every single day. I knew that I had a plan to play every game and my pitching was limited, but I just threw it with the determination to get out as fast as possible without asking the team.”
Did he feel that the big leagues are getting closer as he took the mound repeatedly? “I knew that I might get called up after the build-up process, but I didn’t know when it would be done,” he replied.
“In my mind, I felt like I was ready (for the big league) from the start of the season, but the club must have had the definition of ‘ready’ in its own right. Even in my mind, I can’t throw seven innings right away from joining the spring camp. That’s why I focused every day, and I tried not to worry too much about the future,” he said about the time he waited for his call-up to the big league.
When he was in Louisville for an away game against the Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds Triple-A) on the 9th, he was notified of the call-up, saying, “I got to the stadium early at 11 a.m. that day, finished training, went back after the game, and took a nap, and when I woke up, I found the missed call on my phone with an unknown number. I called him and he was confused because he suddenly said, “I have a team dinner tonight,” but he told me about the big league call-up. I had to make more phone calls after I hung up.”
When asked if he saved the director’s number because he thought he would not be in Triple A for a long time, he waved his hand. “I should have asked the director for his number, but I couldn’t. I usually leave my phone silent. I never thought the director would call me,” he explained.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to receive a call-up notification over the phone. When I watched other videos, the supervisor’s office was notified, so I knew it,” he continued.
Comparing this moment to the first game of the College World Series last year, when he was called by the big leagues, he said, “One day, I will have a moment to remember what a great moment this is,” adding, “I will try to remember this moment.”먹튀검증
Asked how he plans to define the “success” of tomorrow’s appearance, he briefly replied, “Execute.”
“I just want to throw it as planned and create a situation where the team can win,” he said, again revealing his goal of making his big league debut.