Paul Skenes Credit: SportsNet Pittsburgh Paul Skenes walks off the field to a standing ovation after striking out his final hitter of the night at PNC Park.
By Arthur Weinstein on

Pittsburgh Pirates announcer Greg Brown had a feeling things were about to get wild at PNC Park Friday night.

Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes was on the mound in front of a rare sell-out crowd in Pittsburgh. But with two outs in the seventh, the New York Mets had the potential tying run at the plate in a 4-2 game. Skenes got two quick strikes on Harrison Bader. Brown quickly pointed out that Skenes has finished several of his starts this season in dramatic fashion, with a strikeout.

“He has a flair about him, knowing what’s going on,” Brown said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh broadcast. “He wants the strikeout. He’s ended a number of his starts with a strikeout. This place will go bonkers if he does …”

Literally a second later, Bader swung and missed to strike out, and the crowd went bonkers, giving Skenes a standing ovation as he left the field.

Brown and color analyst Kevin Young maintained their silence all the way to the commercial break almost 30 seconds later, as Skenes walked off to cheers.

The late Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Vin Scully famously called such silences “letting the moment breathe.” Brown and Young definitely gave that electrifying moment plenty of breath.

Fans loved the moment … and the silence from the Pirates broadcast booth.

That Skenes strikeout seemed to light the afterburners for the Pirates. The team has struggled at the plate this season, but they launched a team-record-tying seven home runs, including two grand slams, Friday in a 14-2 win. They hit so many homers, the stadium crew ran out of fireworks normally used after home runs, a situation that left Mets announcers Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez joking on their broadcast.

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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