Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has been absolutely dealing on the mound lately, but when it comes to calling his own pitches, he's happy to let someone else take the reins.

The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his last start, fanning 10 batters in a dominant 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. That performance capped back-to-back outings where Skenes has tossed eight innings of shutout ball, and he hasn't issued a walk in over a month. The Pirates are riding high at four games above .500 in mid-May, and their young ace is rounding into peak form.

But despite all the success, Skenes remains as humble as ever. During a recent appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," the soon-to-be 24-year-old offered a refreshingly honest take on his pitch selection process.

"I don't shake a ton," Skenes said with a laugh. "I'm too stupid to call my own pitches."

Instead, he defers to his battery mate, catcher Henry Davis. "I just let him do it. He's got my career in his hands every fifth day."

The Pirates rotate through a trio of backstops, with Davis leading the pack at 26 starts behind the plate. Joey Bart has gotten the nod 17 times this season, while Endy Rodríguez has started once. Skenes explained that while some teams are moving toward calling pitches from the dugout, Pittsburgh takes a different approach—letting each catcher call the game themselves.

"Henry calls the game, and Joey and Endy and our other catchers—they all call the game for themselves," Skenes said.

The chemistry between Skenes and his catchers is evident. Often, there's no need for lengthy discussions between innings. "We see how it's going in the bullpen, we see how it is between innings during the game," he explained. "Sometimes a pitch just sucks, so we just stop calling it. Nothing really needs to be said then."

It's that kind of trust and simplicity that's helping Skenes carve up opposing lineups—and keeping Pirates fans dreaming of October.