Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skeens' long-awaited MLB debut brought life to PNC Park on Saturday.
The 21-year-old from LSU is one of the top pitching prospects in MLB, holding the Chicago Cubs to just one run through four innings as the Pirates took a 6-1 lead into the top of the fifth inning.
Pirates relief pitcher Kyle Nichols replaced Skeens and struck out a batter, giving up two more walks and charging Skeens two more runs.
Skeens threw 84 pitches in his first major league start, striking out seven, walking two, allowing three earned runs, and six hits. His first run allowed was a home run to Nico Hoerner in the fourth inning.
The Cubs made a comeback and tied the game at 6, but the top of the fifth inning was cleared out and rain delayed the game.
Pirates fans, and baseball fans alike, were waiting for Skeens to finally be called up to the majors. It happened on Wednesday, and a packed PNC Park gathered early in anticipation of his debut.
crowd Forms around the Pirates' bullpen I went to watch Skeens warm up before the game. He struck out the first two batters he faced, Mike Tuchman and Seiya Suzuki, and rewarded the spectators in attendance.
Tauchman downswung a 161 mph fastball on a full count.
Mr. Suzuki fell down. 99 mph fastball in second at-bat.got to experience Skeens' absolutely nasty slider in his first at-bat.
Skeens is often compared to former Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg. The similarities start with their size and dominant fastball. Both were dominant hitters at the college level and later in the minor leagues.
Strasburg's MLB debut in 2010 was anticipated in baseball circles just as Skeens took the ball in his first start on Saturday.
(as Mark Zuckerman of MASN Andrew McCutchen was the leadoff hitter Saturday, just like he was in Strasburg's first MLB appearance. )
Watching Skenes reminds me of playing against Strasburg after being called up. In his first at-bat, he caught a fastball and when he looked up, he saw the number “100'' on the board. “Oh,” I thought. What's your next pitch? The best breaking ball I've ever seen is Gulp. The same can be said for the changeup that follows. I was like 😕.
— Joey Votto (@JoeyVotto) May 11, 2024
Skeens' dominance earned him a call-up 10 months after the draft.
Skeens went from being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft to making his debut with the Pirates in the blink of an eye. His 10-month and two-day wait wasn't as long as the 96 days it took 1989 No. 1 draft pick and fellow LSU Tiger Ben McDonald to appear on The Show, but it was worth the wait. Ta.
Skeens was called up after starting seven games for Triple-A Indianapolis this season. He pitched 27 1/3 innings, had 45 strikeouts, only eight walks, a 0.99 ERA, and a 0.91 WHIP. He also held his batting average to .175.
The Pirates were waiting for him to show signs of being ready to be called up for this season, but Skeens played every game in the minors.
“He was confident he could come out and help us win,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Thursday, the day after Skeens was called up. “It's really simple, but for the most part, as we talked about going back to spring training, that's going to be what he tells us. It wasn't all of us. Some of the schedule and the amount is up to us. was in control, so it wasn't all up to him. But most of it was up to him, and I think he told us pretty loudly and clearly that he was ready. ”
Skeens said during Friday's media session that he just wants to put the Pirates in a “position to win.” His presence, along with fellow rookie pitcher Jared Jones, energizes not only the team's rotation, but Pittsburgh's fan base as well. Pittsburgh hasn't had a winning record since 2018 and hasn't watched playoff baseball since 2015, when Skeens was 13 years old. old.
Pirates fans are hoping Saturday marks the beginning of a future where winning baseball returns to the city.
