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Paul Skenes Gave Huge Credit To Unheralded Pirates Teammate originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Paul Skenes believes a Pittsburgh Pirates teammate plays a major role in his success.
The Pirates ace credited Henry Davis for calling his games during Friday's appearance on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show." Davis has caught all nine of Skenes' starts this season.
"I don't shake (off) a ton," Skenes said. "I'm too stupid to call my own pitches, so I let him do it. He's got my career in his hands every fifth day."
While some teams relay orders to the catcher, Skenes said the Pirates leave it to Davis and their other backstops to dictate the game plan.
"It's all him," Skenes said. "Some teams are doing the from-the-dugout stuff, but we do it where Henry calls the game. And Joey (Bart) and Endy (Rodriguez) and all our other catchers, they all call the game for themselves."
Skenes indicated that he and Davis are typically on the same page about managing his pitch arsenal.
"I think a lot of the time it's not even a conversation," Skenes said. "Cause we see how it's going in the bullpen. We see how it is between innings during the game. Sometimes a pitch just sucks, so we just stop calling it. Nothing really needs to be said then, but there's a lot of communication that goes into it."
While he's flourished regardless of his battery mate, Skenes has spent most of an exceptional career working with Davis. He has a 1.85 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 38 starts when pitching to the fellow No. 1 overall draft pick.
Defense is a huge reason Davis keeps drawing playing time amid offensive struggles. The 26-year-old is batting .151/.263/.256 this season, but he could stick in Pittsburgh's lineup with a foot injury sidelining Bart.
While Endy Rodriguez may earn more reps after recording two hits and a walk in Thursday's season debut, the Pirates may want Davis to keep catching Skenes.
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