Kevin Durant Sends 5-Word Message Regarding Paul Skenes Following Impressive WBC Debut

Paul Skenes dominated in his first appearance in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for Team USA and picked up 7 strikeouts in 4 innings.

Kevin Durant Sends 5-Word Message Regarding Paul Skenes Following Impressive WBC Debut

Kevin Durant and Paul Skenes (Image via NBC Sports Bay Area/Fox News)

Paul Skenes made his World Baseball Classic (WBC) debut for Team USA on Monday against Mexico. After an impressive performance in his first appearance for his country, Kevin Durant would send a 5-word message regarding him.

The USA had made a perfect start to the tournament. As they aim to go one better than last time’s runner-up finish, they dismantled Brazil 15-5 in their opening encounter.

Their second fixture saw them take on Great Britain. With the 2025 American League Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal, on the mound, the USA once again cruised to victory. A 9-1 win over them saw the U.S. make a perfect 2-0 start.

Mexico, on the other hand, had also started strong. An 8-2 win over Great Britain was followed by a 16-0 victory after 6 innings (mercy-run rule applied) against Brazil. They had not lost to the United States in their previous three matchups.

It was time for Skenes, the 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner, to show his mettle. The pitcher gave up just 1 hit and 1 walk in his 4 innings. He picked up 7 strikeouts along the way. By the time he was done, the United States were 5-0 up.

Skenes’ performance was so good that even Kevin Durant had to speak about it. The Houston Rockets star had recently been accused of having a burner social media account.

In the midst of this controversy, the 16-time NBA All-Star broke his hiatus on X and dropped a 5-word message regarding Skenes.

Paul skenes is a dawg

Kevin Durant said regarding Paul Skenes on X

After Skenes left the mound, Mexico did fight back a bit. With 2 runs in the 6th inning and 1 run in the 8th inning against relief pitcher Matthew Boyd, who threw 2.1 innings, they made it a 5-3 game.

Eventually, the United States was able to hold on to its lead and won the game. This marked their first triumph over Mexico in the WBC since 2006.

Skenes and his team are now 3-0 in the tournament and are well placed to reach the knockout phases. Mexico, meanwhile, will have to win their final pool stage game to confirm their qualification. Both teams take on Italy in their final game.

Paul Skenes raves about Aaron Judge’s incredible throw after WBC debut

Paul Skenes once again had a dominating performance from the mound as he made his debut for his country on Monday. After the win, he would rave about Aaron Judge‘s incredible throw, which ensured that he did not give up any runs.

Paul Skenes and Aaron Judge
Paul Skenes and Aaron Judge (Image via X/@Shawn_Spradling/X/@WBC)

With two outs in the third inning, Skenes went up against Joey Ortiz. His ball would bounce above the head of Skenes and reach the second base, where Brice Turang collected it. The infielder, however, made a throwing error, which allowed Ortiz to reach first base.

Jarren Duran would then hit a line drive to right field towards Judge. Ortiz would round off the second base and go for third base. The USA captain would show off his strong arm and throw him out from long range to end the inning.

Duran’s hit was the only hit Skenes gave up. In the bottom of the frame, Judge smashed a huge 2-run home run to open the scoring for his team.

Following the game, Skenes would rave about Judge’s throw. The Pittsburgh Pirates star would claim that it was one of the best throws he had seen.

I think I gave up one hit, but it didn’t matter because (Aaron) Judge threw him out at third. One of the best throws I’ve seen.

Paul Skenes said regarding Aaron Judge’s throw

Last year, Judge suffered a flexor strain in his right arm on July 22 in Toronto while playing against the Toronto Blue Jays. He was later put on the 10-day injured list.

Following his return, there were some concerns regarding his throwing ability. He would even play as the designated hitter (DH) for the New York Yankees with Giancarlo Stanton taking the outfield. The Yankees and USA captain reminded everyone about his throwing abilities with that throw.

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