Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star and reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes is proud to continue his support of the Gary Sinise Foundation and its mission to honor and serve our nation’s defenders, veterans, first responders, and their families. For the second consecutive season, Skenes will donate $100 for every strikeout he records during the 2025 campaign.
Fans are invited to join Skenes in his mission to raise $100,000 for this amazing cause. To kick things off, Skenes will personally thank the individual that makes the largest donation between the launch of the campaign and the Pirates home opener on April 4. This individual will be thanked with a batting practice meet-and-greet and tickets for the game.
“I am very excited to partner again with the Gary Sinise Foundation and help our veterans and first responders during the 2025 season,” said Skenes. “I have tremendous respect and admiration for the men and women who sacrifice so much to protect and serve our communities. GSF provides an amazing platform to honor and support those who have done so much for me. I look forward to another year of supporting this amazing cause.”
“A big thank you and much gratitude to Paul for his awesome support of GSF and for this amazing offer and invitation to batting practice for the top donor. Incredible! We are getting great things done at the Gary Sinise Foundation and we appreciate your support of Paul and what he’s doing to help us. Just go easy on my Cubs this season will ya, Paul,” said Actor and Humanitarian Gary Sinise.
Skenes has a strong connection to the military stemming from his time at the Air Force Academy. He will take the mound tomorrow on Opening Day for the Pirates against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park in Miami. Last season, Skenes made his MLB debut and became the first player in MLB history to start the All-Star Game a year after being drafted. The 22-year-old Skenes went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA (133.0 IP/23 ER), and 170 strikeouts over 23 starts.
Interested supporters can join Paul with this great cause and make a donation by visiting https://donate.garysinisefoundation.org/PaulSkenes2025.
All proceeds will be directed to the Gary Sinise Foundation.
The meet-and-greet experience is for a mutually agreeable game date during the 2025 season. In the event that there are multiple donors with tied donation amounts, up to two prizes will be awarded to the first two donors.
About the Gary Sinise Foundation
Gary Sinise is an award-winning actor and humanitarian, best known for his roles in CSI:NY, Apollo 13, and his Oscar-nominated performance in the film Forrest Gump as the wounded Vietnam veteran Lt. Dan Taylor. An advocate for our nation’s defenders since the 1980s, after 9/11 Sinise began a tireless crusade to support America’s military and first responders around the world with handshake tours and concerts with his band, the Lt. Dan Band. In 2011, he established the Gary Sinise Foundation as an extension of those efforts. Today, the Foundation is building custom homes for severely wounded heroes, honoring and supporting the families of our fallen, providing essential equipment and training for first responders, improving the mental wellness of our defenders, and so much more. For more information and to support, visit www.garysinisefoundation.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, X or YouTube.