PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes says the team’s plan to bring him along slowly worked almost perfectly. The 22-year-old began the season in Triple-A. He arrived in the majors in mid-May and is 11-2 with a 1.99 ERA heading into his final start of the year against the New York Yankees. Skenes says he didn’t love the idea of starting in the minors but believes it’s one of the reasons he feels so good in late September. The hard-throwing right-hander says he expects to have fewer restrictions on his availability in 2025.