Less than 24 hours after being crowned the 2025 Cy Young Award winner, Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes swapped cleats for Cane’s Crew gear, as he clocked in for a special “shift” serving veterans at Raising Cane’s in West Palm Beach on November 12. The moment was peak Paul Skenes, as the 23-year-old was humble, grounded, and fueled by something far bigger than baseball.
Celeb Secrets was on-site as Skenes greeted veterans in the lobby and the drive-thru, personally handing out hot Box Combos before stepping aside to accept a $500,000 donation check on behalf of the Gary Sinise Foundation, courtesy of Raising Cane’s and its national Veterans Day campaign.
But before Paul got behind the counter, he participated in a press conference where we asked him directly about his mindset, his mission, and how his work with veterans has shaped who he is both on and off the field.
“Baseball is pretty low on the totem pole in terms of things that matter in this world,” Skenes told Celeb Secrets and other reporters in the media session. “The highs and the lows in baseball… is it really adversity? I don’t think so, not compared to what the men and women who fight for our country face. It really puts things in perspective.”
Perspective has defined Skenes’ career since day one. As a former Air Force Academy cadet, he has long credited the military for shaping the competitor and the person he is today.
“How you do anything is how you do everything,” he said, reflecting on his time at the Academy. “It’s an environment that’s made to make everybody there better. The two years I spent there, I got unbelievably better as a person and as a baseball player.”
This past season, Skenes has been doing everything the can to help veterans. The All-Star pledged $100 per strikeout to the Gary Sinise Foundation, closing the year with 216 strikeouts. Raising Cane’s matched his donation, bringing the total campaign contribution to $500,000 toward housing, community events, and direct support for veterans and families of fallen service members.
“The way the Gary Sinise Foundation uses their money very directly helps people,” Skenes shared during the conference. “Whether it’s building houses or putting on events for veterans and their kids…it’s going to be used for good.”
His commitment earned him recognition as the Pirates’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee, one of baseball’s highest honors for humanitarian work.
Despite the historic achievement the night before, Skenes arrived in West Palm Beach with zero ego — only gratitude and a game plan. When Celeb Secrets asked him about his offseason mindset and daily commitment to improving Pittsburgh as a whole, he broke it down simply:
“You start with the ‘what,’ then you move on to the ‘how,’” he told us. “The ‘what’ is making the city, the team, the organization better. The ‘how’ is the day-to-day — working hard, figuring out the most efficient way to get better, talking with teammates, shooting ideas back and forth. That’s what it looks like right now.”
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The partnership between Skenes and Raising Cane’s goes back further than many realize. After winning the 2023 National Championship with LSU, he and several teammates pulled their first celebratory “shift” at the OG Raising Cane’s near campus. From there, a friendship with founder Todd Graves blossomed, and has now turned into a shared mission to give back.
Following the event, Graves echoed the sentiment in his remarks, calling Skenes “a great guy both on and off the field… one of the best pitchers.”
“I’ve loved following his journey from winning the College World Series as an LSU Tiger in 2023 to now unanimously winning the coveted Cy Young Award,” he also shared in a statement.
At the end of the day, Paul Skenes showed his fans and veterans in attendance that greatness isn’t just measured in ERA or hardware, but in heart by choosing to spend his morning honoring those who have served our country.
For more on Paul Skenes’ work with Raising Cane’s and the Gary Sinise Foundation, watch our full interview below.
Interview quotes have been edited and condensed for clarity.
