Paul Skenes’ blistering MLB debut
The number one pick in last year’s MLB draft made his debut in the Show and had a blistering outing, throwing 17 pitches that hit triple digits.
If you have been living under a rock for the past few seasons, you might be surprised to hear about the best young talent in MLB. No, not Shohei Ohtani. Paul Skenes.
Paul Skenes is the best pitching prospect in the Major Leagues, winning the NCAA National Championship at LSU and being drafted first overall last year. Prior to becoming a fireballer with the Tigers, Skenes was the best hitter in the Mountain West conference at Air Force. There is an argument that he was one of the best two or three hitters in all of college baseball, hitting a stunning .410 in 2021 before dropping off to a lowly .312 the following season. He was first team All-American and the only player to have double digit home runs and saves. Sound familiar?
Picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Skenes spent last year in Triple A Indianapolis, where he saw his ERA post at 1.85 on 34.0 innings pitched. The Pirates gave him the start in Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs for his MLB debut and he did not disappoint.
Skenes’ first major league inning began brightly with strikeouts at the expense of Mike Tauchman and Suzuki. He surrendered a walk to Cody Bellinger, but got out of it with Morel’s fly ball to center.
During the second inning, Skenes struggled and managed to load the bases, but was able to dig his way out for no score. The inning had started well when Iann Happ dribbled one back to the mound. The first man on base was Nico Hoerner after being hit by one that got away from Skenes. He then walked Busch and Mastruoboni singled to load them up for the Cubs. Digging deep, Skenes struck out Gomes before retiring Tauchman on a 4-3 ground ball.
In the third, Skenes struck out Suzuki again and Bellinger flew out to center field. Morel had a hit, but was caught when he got greedy and tried to steal second base.
The good outing ended after Skenes struck out Happ in the fourth, when Hoerner hit the ball over the left field wall. Skenes’ otherwise outstanding slider was pounded 380 feet. After giving up the bomb, though, Skenes once again dug down and struck out both Busch and Gomes.
The debut ended in the fifth inning when Skenes was pulled for Kyle Nicolas, leaving Tauchman and Suzuki on the bases. Skenes’ final line was four complete innings, six hits allowed, three runs against, two walks and seven strikeouts.
All in all, Paul Skenes lit up the strike zone, with 17 of his 84 total pitches notching up triple digits. His best hit 101.9 mph, the fastest pitch recorded by a Pirates pitcher in the pitch tracking era (since 2008). For a young prospect, it was outstanding, even if he lacked control at points.
Manager Derek Shelton said of Skenes, “I would guess he was a little bit over-amped, so the fastball command, you know, wasn’t as sharp as we’d seen it in Indy. And understandably. I mean the crowd was into it. That was fun … I think he’ll learn from it and be able to build off it, but overall, the stuff is really good.”
The Pittsburgh bats come to life
The Pirates accompanied Skenes’ pitching with great hitting. Connor Joe, Oneil Cruz, Michael A. Taylor, Yasmani Grandal and Andrew McCutchen each homered for Pittsburgh, which set a season high for runs scored. After a two hour rain delay, the Pirates managed to win 10-9, snapping a three-game skid.