Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes, the standout who finished his second Major League Baseball game last week with 11 strikeouts, including six innings without a hit at Wrigley Field, is pitching for a cause beyond baseball stardom: the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Skenes, who was a cadet for two years at the U.S. Air Force Academy before transferring to Louisiana State University and becoming the first pick in last year's MLB draft, met Sinise on Newsmax's "National Report" to discuss Skenes' plan to raise up to $100,000 for the actor's veterans' organization by donating $100 for every strikeout this season.
Skenes initially attended the Air Force Academy, but transferred to LSU, despite loving the academy, so he could start his baseball career sooner rather than having to serve five years of active military duty first, reported USA Today.
As Skenes is now becoming a star by hurling fastballs clocked at 100 miles per hour and up, Sinise pointed out to him, "You've obviously picked the right career."
Skenes told Newsmax that after spending two years at the Air Force Academy and growing up with a military family, he wanted to do something for his ill father, and his dad suggested raising money for the Gary Sinise Foundation.
"It's a dream come true to even be in the position that I'm in and I think the big thing for me is to kind of give back to the communities that have gotten me to where I am," Skenes said. "Spending two years at the Air Force Academy, I wouldn't be here without that place and the people that are there."
Skenes added that the military and veterans make sacrifices for the U.S., but he wanted to make a start at repaying them.
Skenes has had two uncles attend the Naval Academy, and another is teaching at the Coast Guard Academy.
Sinise said the foundation, which he started in 2011, offers multiple programs to ensure that families of fallen heroes are cared for, as well as to help people suffering from post-traumatic stress after their military service.
"We do all kinds of things at the Gary Sinise Foundation, and the reason our mission is so broad is because prior to starting it, I was just raising my hand for all these different organizations that were doing all kinds of different things, and I learned where all these various needs were," Sinise said.
"When I started my own foundation, I just wanted to keep doing that and expanding those programs and services. ... We continue to try and expand our programs to make sure that we never forget the sacrifices that are made to keep us free."
Sinise said he will be in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to play at one of the foundation's "Invincible Spirit" festivals.
"We roll in with a big stage and food and everything to our military hospitals, get the patients out, and try to lift them up," he said. "At the military hospitals, it can be very difficult because somebody could be in there for quite a long time just going through daily rehabilitation, so we like to roll in there and give them some joy."
Sinise will also be one of the co-hosts Sunday night on PBS with the National Memorial Day Concert, sharing the hosting duties with actor Joe Mantegna.
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