On Wednesday night at Chase Field, the Pittsburgh Pirates turned back the clock to baseball's golden era—where a single run and a stoic ace were all you needed to win.

Paul Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, delivered a jaw-dropping masterpiece in a tense 1-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Pirates managed just one run all night, but with Skenes on the mound, that was more than enough.

Brandon Lowe provided the early fireworks, launching a solo homer in the top of the first inning to give Pittsburgh a slim lead. From there, it was all Skenes. He carved through Arizona's lineup with surgical precision, retiring the first 14 batters he faced and carrying a perfect game into the fifth inning. The only blemishes on his night were back-to-back two-out singles from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Nolan Arenado, but Skenes quickly escaped the jam by retiring Gabriel Moreno to end the frame.

The right-hander finished with eight scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out seven. He saved his best for last, fanning the side in the eighth inning before handing the ball to Gregory Soto, who closed the door with a perfect ninth.

Wednesday's performance was the latest chapter in an incredible bounce-back season. After a disastrous Opening Day that left him with a 67.50 ERA, Skenes has been nearly unhittable. Over his last seven starts, he's posted a 1.31 ERA, a 0.58 WHIP, and an eye-popping 45:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His overall numbers now stand at 5-2 with a 2.36 ERA.

The win pushed the Pirates to their fourth victory in the last five games, and they'll look to keep the momentum going when Skenes takes the mound again early next week against the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park.

For Pirates fans, Wednesday night was a reminder that when you have an ace like Skenes, you only need one run—and a whole lot of heart.