SKENES DONATES $17,000 FOR VETS FOUNDATION

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Pitcher Paul Skenes Wraps Up a Stellar Rookie Season and Donates $17,000 to Military Vets

Pitts­burgh Pirates pitch­er Paul Skenes end­ed his phe­nom­e­nal rook­ie sea­son on a high note as he helped secure a 9–4 win over the Yan­kees. But it’s not just his 11–3 record and 1.96 ERA that are mak­ing head­lines.

Ear­li­er this year, Skenes pledged to donate $100 for every strike­out to the Gary Sinise Foun­da­tion, which sup­ports mil­i­tary vet­er­ans and first respon­ders. With 170 strike­outs this sea­son, that means a whop­ping $17,000 will be going to a great cause!

Skenes, who start­ed his col­lege career at the Air Force Acad­e­my, shared his moti­va­tion behind the dona­tion dur­ing an appear­ance on The Pat McAfee Show. “Being at the Air Force Acad­e­my had a huge impact on my life. I’m not there any­more, but I want to give back to a com­mu­ni­ty that’s done so much for me,” he said.

To sweet­en the deal, McAfee him­self jumped in, promis­ing to match Skenes’ dona­tion total.

We love see­ing ath­letes like Paul Skenes use their plat­form to give back. Great job, Paul — what a way to cap off your rook­ie year!

Main pho­to by Jonathan Dyer | USA TODAY Sports