You have to see Skenes’ unreal warmup routine
Alex Stumpf
5:58 p.m.: Paul Skenes emerges from the dugout and walks to the bullpen
An hour before Skenes toed the rubber center stage on Tuesday, dozens of Pirates fans were already setting up to see the rookie phenom throw. Not on the main mound, but in the bullpen, where PNC Park offers a pair of vantage points overlooking from the main concourse in left-center and from the left-field bleachers.
They wanted to get an up-close look at the young stud who was walking towards them, bag of balls in his left hand and his glove in the other. They didn’t want to just see Skenes pitch. They wanted a look at his pregame throwing routine, a series of drills and tosses that has piqued the interest of many fans, to the point that the throwing he does before he makes a pitch in a game has also gone viral. Skenes’ ridiculous early career success and billing as the top pitching prospect of his generation surely factors into that hype, as people try to get a look at the routine that has King Midas’ touch, but even without that context, it’s captivating and regimented.
“It just comes down to body awareness,” Skenes explained. “It’s how I’m feeling right now. A lot of it is from LSU and [I] started doing at LSU, but I took some of it out in the offseason and put some back in. I don’t have the same routine as I did with LSU exactly.”
Before Skenes’ start Tuesday — when he would pitch into the ninth inning for the first time and strike out eight — this reporter was among the dozens camping out in left-center to watch the routine that has played a part in his success. Because if you’ve seen the routine once, you’ve basically seen how those 35 minutes will always play out as he prepares for a start.
“From the drills to the reps, alternating between the different things that he does, it’s to a T every single time,” said pitching coach Oscar Marin.
6 p.m.: Skenes goes into the bullpen for the first time. Marin waits with a pole by the pitching rubber, which Skenes walks up to. He sets up on the mound, grabs the pole with his left hand across his body and goes through his throwing motion three times.
6:01-6:02 p.m.: Skenes extends a band over his head and does the lower half of his throwing motion twice. Later, he puts on a water bag and pantomimes his lower-half mechanics again. Twice right-handed, then twice as a left-handed thrower. Then two more times right-handed, then once left-handed.
These drills are done to work out the core, and the reason why he does his motion from the opposite side was inspired by one of Marin’s former pupils, Yu Darvish. When he and Marin were in Texas, Darvish would throw out from 90 feet left-handed as part of his activation routine.
“I’m not coordinated enough to do that, but it helps keep my balance,” Skenes said.
6:03 p.m.: Skenes puts his glove on for the first time and starts backhanding reverse throws with a weighted ball against the wall 10 times to help get his back and shoulder ready.
6:04-6:07 p.m. Skenes, Marin and bullpen catcher Raúl Hernández exit the bullpen and walk onto the playing field with a football. Skenes starts tossing touch passes, eventually backing up to the edge of the warning track and tossing out to 90-100 feet.
Pitchers who do this generally want to keep their arm path short. It’s picking up popularity through the league. Pirate pitchers will occasionally toss a football on the field with each other even when they don’t pitch that day. But like much of the routine, it’s beneficial that it was formed at LSU, where Skenes was mentored by former Major League pitching coach Wes Johnson.
“The application of it was put in for a very specific reason,” Derek Shelton said about the routine in general. “Yeah, I have watched it. I can’t explain to you what he’s doing or how he’s doing it, but I know it works.”
6:07-6:14 p.m.: Skenes returns to the bullpen and is out of the public eye for a bit as he continues his activation. The pregame announcements at PNC Park start to play.
6:14 p.m.: Skenes exits the bullpen and starts playing catch from the field with Hernández, building up his intensity and velocity. He makes 13 throws and then tosses the ball into the stands.
6:19-6:22 p.m.: Skenes returns to the bullpen, with Marin waiting for him with a light medicine ball in hand. Skenes puts the ball under his left arm and goes through his motion, letting the ball drop.
Again, this is to help keep the arm path short, which pops up multiple times in his warmup. By this point, he’s worked out his shoulder, core and gotten his arm loose to start throwing.
“It’s not new stuff to me, it’s how tight he stays within his routine and how awesome I think it is,” Marin said. “There’s very little variance to it, but whatever variance is based on what he needs and what he feels. I think that’s something special about him.”
“The reason why I carry around this journal is because I write it all down pregame,” Skenes said. “I’m not the only one. Quinn [Priester] does that too. A lot of guys don’t have to write it down, but my mind is all over the place before a game.”
6:23-6:32 p.m.: Skenes throws his bullpen. Fans who have waited to watch him up close start taking videos and pictures.
“Is he throwing yet?” one fan asks.
“Can’t you hear it?” another replies.
6:32-33: Skenes completes his warmup. Teammates and coaches high five and line up at the front of the bullpen for the national anthem, which will begin shortly.
Game time.
