It took 47 major league games before Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes gave up seven hits to an opposing lineup. Skenes’ record streak of allowing six or fewer hits ended at 46 starts on Thursday night in a 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. According to OptaStats, the longest such streak to begin a career, excluding openers, previously belonged to Shohei Ohtani, who went 31 starts from 2018-21 for the Los Angeles Angels. Skenes yielded seven hits over six innings against Cincinnati. He struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 1.94, lowest among qualified pitchers. He also extended his scoreless streak at home to 27 2/3 innings; he hasn’t allowed a run at PNC Park since June 8 against Philadelphia — and that one was unearned.
From
To
Ke’Bryan Hayes said he thought he might stay in Pittsburgh before the Pirates traded him to Cincinnati on July 30. He returned to Pittsburgh on Thursday as the Pirates began a series against the Reds. Hayes' future with the Pirates seemed secure after signing a $70 million, eight-year contract in 2022. He said he wanted to play his whole career there, but acknowledged baseball is a business. The Gold Glove third baseman moved from a struggling team to one competing for a wild-card spot. Hayes has been welcomed in Cincinnati and is excited about the playoff contention.
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington believes the team's moves at the trade deadline created flexibility going into 2026. The Pirates sent away third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, closer David Bednar and starting pitcher Bailey Falter in exchange for prospects. Cherington says the team will use the next two months to provide opportunities for younger players and will explore adding a veteran bat through trade or free agency during the offseason. Pittsburgh is in last in the NL Central despite a strong pitching staff led by Cy Young candidate Paul Skenes.
Will Benson hit his ninth multi-run homer of the year to power the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday. Left-handed batters were hitting .292 against the lefty Dylan Dodd coming into the game. With two outs in the seventh, manager Terry Francona elected to let Benson face him and Benson sent it 356 feet to left field. Brady Singer struck out a season-high 10 batters in six scoreless innings. He allowed four hits and a walk. It was his first career win over the Braves in four decisions. Emilio Pagan got his 23rd save in 26 chances.
Chase Burns has reached some elite company in his first six starts in the majors. However, the Reds rookie right-hander is still seeking his first big-league win. Burns became the second Cincinnati pitcher since 1900 with three straight games with at least 10 strikeouts on Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, he also allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings and fell to 0-3 as the Dodgers posted a 5-2 victory. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Burns is the eighth Major Leaguer age 22 or younger and the first since Pittsburgh’s Oliver Perez in 2004 to post three straight 10-strikeout games since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893.
Kickball is beloved among women in Liberia, where many sporting activities are male-dominated. The sport in Liberia has the rules of baseball but there are no bats, and players kick a soccer ball instead of the larger, lightweight ball used in other places. And there are no male players involved. It was introduced to Liberia in the 1960s by a Peace Corps volunteer who was teaching in an all-girls school in the capital Monrovia. Kickball has since grown to become Liberia's second most-popular sport and is played all over the country from schoolyards to public squares and dirt fields.
Perryline Jimmie, 23, on the Gisa kickball team, poses for a photo after a match at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia, Liberia, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg)
Women on the Girls of Aries kickball team, part of Liberia's professional kickball league, talk together before a match at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia, Liberia, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg)
East Hardy's Dayton Dove didn't get a hit in the entire WVSSAC Class A state baseball tournament until he had to get the one that mattered the most.
The 2025 West Virginia state high school baseball championships are underway at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston.
