Paul Skenes’ much-anticipated start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday was foiled after an implosion from the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen that saw them give up ten runs in the seventh inning. But despite the 12-3 defeat, Skenes had three world-class duels with Shohei Ohtani.
The two-way phenom went 0-for-3 against the reigning National League Cy Young winner. Two groundouts in the first and the fifth inning were sandwiched between a four-pitch strikeout in the third.
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On Wednesday morning, Skenes’ girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, took to Instagram to react to the at-bats. She shared the clips on her story, adding an edited picture of herself and Skenes recreating the iconic acclaimed director Martin Scorsese’s “Absolute Cinema” meme, usually used to characterize elite moments in history.
It was the fifth instance when Skenes and Ohtani squared up on the field. Their first matchup came early in Skenes’ rookie year, two years ago on May 6. Ohtani recorded a single and a home run in three at-bats. However, since then, Ohtani has drawn a blank in 11 at-bats with just one walk and six strikeouts.
When Skenes left the mound for the Pirates, the game was in the balance with a 2-2 score. He finished with two earned runs on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts, keeping his xERA to the lowest in his career.
The Dodgers’ lineup quickly took control after that, as relievers Wilber Dotel and Brandan Bidois allowed ten runs, earning seven among the two.
Shohei Ohtani suffers similar fate as Paul Skenes in Game 2 loss
On Wednesday night, it was the Pirates’ turn for a comeback of their own, this time after Shohei Ohtani exited the game. After giving up season highs in hits (six), runs (four) and earned runs (three), Ohtani was taken off the mound mid-inning for the first time since surrendering a three-run home run to Bo Bichette in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.
Despite the Brandon Lowe home run in the seventh that chased Ohtani out of the game, the game looked for the Dodgers to take as they had a 6-3 lead. But a five-run eighth inning gave the Pirates a 9-6 lead. Ohtani tried to salvage the game with the bat with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, but the Pirates closed out behind him to level the series.
Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy
