SCOTTSDALE, AZ — It may have been a mere spring-training game, one that will be forgotten by morning with statistics that will never appear on the back of bubble-gum cards, but don’t try telling that to defending National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes.
This is a game he’ll never forget.
Skenes stood on the field Tuesday, standing at full attention during the national anthem, staring at the American flag on the scoreboard, watching and listening to the military fly-over, and trying to keep his emotions in check.
Here he was, less than four years from leaving the Air Force Academy, where he planned to be a pilot serving his country, pitching for Team USA, with his parents driving over from Southern California to see him in action.
“I was going in treating it as a spring training game a little bit,’’ Skenes said, “but it’s tough when you wear a USA across your chest. It means more.’’
Skenes was still in full uniform when he spoke on the field after the game — one of two exhibitions for Team USA before they depart to Houston for the World Baseball Classic — still not ready to take it off.
Skenes and the rest of his teammates say they still were pumped up after listening to 23-time gold medal-winning swimmer Michael Phelps address them at their private team dinner Monday at the Global Ambassador. He dominated the San Francisco Giants in USA’s 15-1 rout Tuesday, giving up just one hit and one run while striking out four batters at Scottsdale Stadium.
He showed off his dominance while facing Giants All-Star shortstop Willy Adames for his final hitter. Adames, who doubled off Skenes on a slider to lead off the first inning, saw nothing but fastballs. Skenes blew 98-mph fastballs past him, with Adames swinging and missing on a 98.5-mph pitch for the third strike.
It was vintage Skenes, who was so efficient during his 40-pitch outing that he went back to the bullpen for more work. He will start Game 3 against Mexico on March 9 at Daikin Park in Houston, and then, providing the USA advances, will start in its semifinal game.
“Winning gold is the biggest thing,” Skenes said. “Whichever game I’m pitching in, it doesn’t really matter. Just want to win gold.”
It was the message that Phelps, who sat on the bench Tuesday wearing a USA uniform, sent to the team at its team dinner. He reminded the team that he won 28 medals, but 23 of those are the ones that mean everything to him. Those are the gold medals.
“He pretty much said there’s noting better than winning gold for USA,’’ Skenes said. “It’s a brotherhood, you know, a fraternity of men and women, who compete for our country and won the gold.’’
That fraternity was on full display when every single player on Team USA not only stayed for the entire game, but remained in uniform. Even the pitchers who didn’t pitch in the game stayed in uniform. No one rushed out to beat the traffic. No one dressed early to hang out in popular Old Town Scottsdale. Everyone stayed for the duration of the 3-hour, 5-minute game, even with the game lasting 10 innings simply for USA reliever Gabe Speier to get in some work.
“I turned to Judgey (Aaron Judge) and I turned to all of the coaches and said this has got a different feel than (2023),’’ said USA manager Mark DeRosa, whose team won the silver medal in the last WBC. “It just did. Not a single guy left.
“It’s impressive, it speaks to the testament of guys wanting to be here, and the character of them. … You’re looking down the line, and you see Alex Bregman talking to Roman Anthony. You’re seeing (Tarik) Skubal and Skenes (standing) top step. You’re seeing Judge and (Cal) Raleigh talk.
“I mean, that’s what everybody wanted to create, an environment where these guys didn’t want to leave.’’
Said Bregman, who homered: “I feel like there’s a certain excitement that you could feel the minute that you walk into the clubhouse. The focus level is at an all-time high.’’
Still, as much as Tuesday’s exhibition game meant to Team USA on its quest for a gold medal, it was moving, and even emotional for reliever Griffin Jax and Skenes. Jax graduated from the United States Air Force Academy. Skenes went to the Academy for two years before transferring to LSU, but still wants to serve his country after his playing career ends.
“That’s why I wanted to serve, why I went to the Air Force Academy,’’ said Skenes, who wanted to be an F-16 pilot, and had two uncles who served in the Navy and one in the Coast Guard. “Those folks don’t get the recognition they deserve.’’
DeRosa couldn’t even get through his prepared speech to recruit Skenes to play in the WBC when Skenes told him to stop. There was no need.
“I had this big pitch laid out there,’’ DeRosa said. “He’s changed the game. But he was like, ‘I want to do this for every serviceman and woman that protects our freedom.
“At the end of the day, that’s all that needs to be said. There’s something very special about representing your country. …. I mean, they gave their life to kind of live in that process.’’
It was no different with Jax. He let his agent know during the summer that he badly wanted to play in the WBC, and spread the word. DeRosa finally called him, started a casual conversation, and Jax cut him off.
“He started the conversation slow and steady,’’ Jax said. “And I was like, ‘Just give it to me. Just say it. I need to hear it. OK?”
So there they were together Tuesday, pitching on the same team, in the same game, for the first time in their lives on a day that will be cherished in Air Force Academy lore.
“Today was just awesome,’’ said Jax, who’s on the Tampa Bay Rays staff. “It was the most amount of juice I’ve had in a long time. Just walking into the clubhouse, putting the uniform on with all of these guys, is different.’’
Their teammates also could sense the emotions by Skenes and Jax, knowing what this means to them, as two men who signed up with the Air Force Academy to serve their country, and are the only active players with military experience.
Who can blame the entire team for feeling patriotic during the national anthem and military fly-over with two former Academy cadets on their pitching staff?
“That was awesome,’’ USA first baseman Bryce Harper said. “I grew up right next to Nellis Air Force Base (in Las Vegas). So I always saw the bombers flying over, and the stealth jets, and everything else. It was a really cool experience. I saw the Blue Angels flying around there and doing that kind of stuff. We’d hear it like 6, 7 in the morning, and the bombers would fly over and be loud as crap.
“You know you represent something way bigger than yourself. You’re fighting and playing for the people that made this available to us, for our freedom and everything else. So, we owe a lot to the military and the service to what they’ve done for us.’’
And, yes, by the time the WBC is over, everyone on Team USA will know the stories of Jax and Skenes at the Air Force Academy, the sacrifices they made, and the commitment of still serving their country. Jax is a captain in the United States Air Force reserves and Skenes vows to serve in some capacity, even if it’s a coach at the Academy, when his baseball career ends.
“Just hearing the pride they have for this country and to be able to wear this uniform and have the flag on their arm,’’ Judge said, “it’s pretty cool. Really cool.’’
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