The people of Pittsburgh love their sports teams. So it is a euphoric experience for the city when some of the major stars from the different sports get together, like the time Ben Roethlisberger, Neil Walker, and Sidney Crosby collaborated for Andrew McCutchen’s 2,000th career hit. Today, Pittsburgh Steelers superstar OLB T.J. Watt and Pittsburgh Pirates superstar pitcher Paul Skenes conducted a jersey swap, per videos posted by the Pirates account on X.
“Thanks for having us over and good luck on Sunday,” said the Pirates in the video caption.
That love goes both ways, as Russell Wilson took several of his teammates to a Pirates game over the offseason for some team bonding.
Cameron Heyward got in on the fun via X, saying he needs both of those jerseys.
Pittsburgh sports have been blessed over the years with some outstanding generational talents. Watt and Skenes are certainly among that group.
The Pirates have been a snakebitten organization for years, but Skenes gave them perhaps the most excitement the team has had over the last decade with his performance as a rookie this season. He has started 20 games, with 10 wins and 2 losses. In 120 innings pitched, Skenes has an ERA of 2.10 and a whopping 151 strikeouts. That strikeout total broke the franchise record for a rookie season earlier this week.
He even got to start in the All-Star game earlier this year, which is quite the honor for a rookie.
Watt, of course, has been one of the best players in the NFL for five or six years now. He is chasing his 100th sack with just 2.5 to go until that lofty milestone is reached. He will become one of the fastest players to ever reach that mark when he does so with 105 career games played so far. Had it not been for two penalties on Sunday, he would be just a half sack away from 100.
The Pirates won’t be able to attend the Steelers game with it being a road game in Denver against the Broncos on Sunday. With the Pirates all but eliminated from playoff contention, it won’t be too long until Skenes and other Pirates stars will be spotted on the broadcast during home games. When he is there, he will now have a signed jersey by Watt to wear to support the team.
