Paul Skenes has revealed the meal he eats before every start, with teammates of the Pirates pitcher confused by his choice.
Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft, made an impressive Major League debut last week with seven strikeouts in four innings.
And on Tuesday, Skenes told the Pat McAfee Show what he always chooses as fuel for the game: chicken alfredo.
“For my last one, I got some crap from some guys [start] because I just ate this giant plate of chicken alfredo a few hours before I pitched,” Skenes said.
“And they actually tell me that if they ate that before their outing, they wouldn’t even be able to pitch, that they would just be sitting on the toilet. But that’s exactly what I do… it helps me maintain my energy.
The Pirates’ Paul Skenes revealed his surprise pregame meal on Tuesday afternoon
Skenes is seen with girlfriend and social media star Olivia Dunne after his first Pirates start
Skenes struck out seven batters in seven innings against the Chicago Cubs last weekend
Skenes certainly needs that energy, as he reportedly burns a whopping 5,000 calories per game.
An employee at LSU (where he played in college) mentioned it ESPN that Skenes ate half a container of honey per game to properly fuel himself.
Skenes is the boyfriend of college gymnastics and social media star Olivia Dunne, who cheered him on from the stands during his first MLB start.
Dunne shared some new photos of the couple celebrating his first match win.
Speaking to MLB Network previously, Skenes said that Dunne has helped him immensely when it comes to dealing with the fanfare around him.
Skenes’ teammates celebrated the rookie by pouring Powerade on him after Saturday’s win
“It’s been great, she’s helped me in a lot of ways with how to manage all the hype, I think, and how to manage everything that goes into the life of a professional athlete, because she’s kind of lived it. So it was great,” Skenes said.
Skenes is expected to start again later this week.
Meanwhile, Dunne considers what’s next for her.
She has the option to go back to study for another year.