Dick's Sporting Goods Buys 1-Of-A-Kind Paul Skenes Card For $1.1M

PITTSBURGH, PA — Dick's Sporting Goods was the winning bidder in the auction for the one-of-a-kind Paul Skenes baseball card, the company has announced. The card, which is autographed and contains a patch that was on the Pirates pitcher's jersey during his highly anticipated first major league appearance last May, was sold for $1.1 million.

Dick’s, which is headquartered in Coraopolis, plans to display the card in its House of Sport store at Ross Park Mall.

“Acquiring the Paul Skenes MLB debut patch card enables us to celebrate his incredible talent while giving our athletes a unique opportunity to experience a piece of baseball history up close,” Ed Stack, the executive chairman of the company, said in a release. “We’re thrilled to bring this special card home and display it in our Pittsburgh House of Sport store where it can inspire the next generation of athletes and collectors."

The card will be displayed in a new collectors' space at the Ross Park House of Sport, which will feature a trading cards and memorabilia experience. These specialty shops will be rolled out to select House of Sport stores nationwide, including Pittsburgh, this spring.

Details about when the card will be on display will be announced at a later date.

Skenes, 22, won the National League Rookie of the Year Award and finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting following his sensational debut season that saw him start for the National League inMajor League Baseball's All-Star Game. He finished the season with an 11-3 record and a 1.96 ERA in 23 games.

Skenes will be the youngest pitcher in 11 years to start a season opener when he takes the mound for the Pirates on Thursday when the team plays the Miami Marlins.