Baseball's Best Pitchers Bond Over Their One Big Struggle

The world's two best baseball pitchers just proved that even elite athletes have something they can't quite figure out.

Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers recently met to talk about pitching. Both won Cy Young Awards last year. Both throw 100 mph fastballs regularly. And both absolutely cannot throw a sweeper, no matter how hard they try.

"If I see a new sweeper grip, I almost always pick the ball up and throw it that next day," Skubal admitted. "I can't get it, but I'm relentless. I'll get it one of these days."

Skenes had to laugh. His first attempt at the pitch during his first day at LSU went so badly that he launched the ball completely out of the stadium, over the bleachers and into the parking lot. His practice partner even sent him a Snapchat photo of the lonely baseball with the caption: "Nice slider."

But here's where the story gets better. Skenes didn't give up. With encouragement from his pitching coach, he kept working on the sweeper every single day. By the end of that season, it had become his signature pitch, the one batters fear most.

Why This Inspires

These two pitchers represent the very best in baseball. Skubal has won two straight American League Cy Young Awards and is expected to sign a contract worth over $400 million. Skenes won Rookie of the Year in 2024 and his first Cy Young the following season.

Yet their conversation revealed something deeper than athletic dominance. Both were overlooked coming out of high school. Skenes received only two college offers. Skubal got just one. They succeeded because they never stopped learning, never stopped trying new things, never stopped believing they could improve.

"My theory is that you can do whatever you want with a baseball," Skenes said. "You just gotta figure out how to do it."

That mindset, the relentless pursuit of growth even when you're already the best, separates good from great. Modern technology helps with high speed cameras and motion capture systems, but the real magic happens in the willingness to embarrass yourself in a parking lot and then show up the next day to try again.

Their humble approach to excellence offers a refreshing reminder that mastery isn't about perfection. It's about showing up, trying things that might fail spectacularly, and trusting that persistence pays off.