Paul Skenes is no stranger to praise from current and former members of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Clint Hurdle has found “joy” in watching the phenom over the last year. Andrew McCutchen called him a “unicorn” a couple of months back. Isiah Kiner-Falefa recently compared him to Gerrit Cole.
It’s kind of hard not to praise what he’s doing, but one former member of the organization put words to action on Monday.
Jason Grilli spent three seasons with the club from 2011 to 2013, and although he’s been retired for nearly a decade, the former closer had to make his return to PNC Park. Grillis wanted to show his son what a great pitcher looked like in his prime, and captured a tremendous moment on social media.
“Used the lifetime pass and the golden ticket today to watch Paul Skenes take the mound at PNC with my son,” Grilli posted. “Moments like this hit different – baseball, legacy, and passing it on to the next generation.”
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The MLB Lifetime Pass, for those who don’t know, is a benefit for veterans with at least eight years of service time and allows them to attend any game of their choosing for the rest of their lives. Grilli decided the right time to use it was to watch Skenes.
We can’t blame him.
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Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images