Pirates' Skenes strikes out 7 in electric MLB debut

Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes made his major-league debut Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. It was the most anticipated start for a rookie pitcher since Stephen Strasburg broke into the league in 2010.

The 21-year-old Skenes, selected first overall by the Pirates less than one year ago, struck out seven over four-plus innings, including the first two batters he faced. His fastball topped out at 101.9 mph, and he also dazzled the PNC Park crowd by mixing in some sliders and "splinkers."

"The stuff was really good, I think," Skenes said postgame, according to Will Graves of The Associated Press. "Just got to get ahead of hitters a little bit, more consistently. But, I think that'll come."

Check out a full inning-by-inning breakdown of Skenes' debut below:

5th Inning

The end of the line came after Skenes started the fifth by giving up a double to Tauchman, and an infield single to Seiya Suzuki. Pirates manager Derek Shelton was booed as he walked to the mound, but those jeers quickly turned to cheers for Skenes as he strode to the dugout.

His 84 pitches marked Skenes' highest pitch count as a professional. Skenes allowed six hits and two walks while striking out seven. Reliever Kyle Nicolas came on in relief and allowed two inherited runs to score.

After Skenes left, the bullpen proceeded to undo everything. Nicolas hit a batter and threw 12 straight balls before yielding to Josh Fleming, who walked Gomes before giving up a game-tying infield single to Tauchman in the middle of a downpour. Immediately after that run scored, the game went into a rain delay with the Pirates and Cubs tied at 6-6.

4th Inning

The Cubs finally got to Skenes in the fourth, when Nico Hoerner jumped on a slider and ripped it over the left-field wall for a solo home run. Skenes had given up just one homer in 27 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season.

He struck out three in the fourth, giving him seven strikeouts on the day. But the inning, which also included a Miles Mastrobuoni single, rose his pitch count to 74 - one off his 2024 high.

3rd Inning

Once again, Skenes allowed a runner to reach, and once again he came through unscathed. Morel ripped a two-out single, but was thrown out stealing to end the inning after a Pirates challenge.

Skenes' girlfriend, championship gymnast Olivia Dunne, wouldn't let her own nerves stop the joy of watching him pitch in the majors.

The Pirates gave their pitcher some support in the bottom of the third. First baseman Connor Joe opened the scoring with a three-run homer off Cubs starter Justin Steele, and shortstop Oneil Cruz followed with a solo shot to make it 4-0 Pirates.

2nd Inning

Skenes got into his first bit of trouble in the majors, loading the bases on a hit-by-pitch, walk, and single with one out. But again he didn't break, recovering to strike out Yan Gomes and then strand the sacks full by getting Tauchman to ground out. However, he threw 24 pitches in the inning, running his count up to 40.

1st Inning

Skenes wasted no time. He struck out leadoff hitter Mike Tauchman on a 101-mph fastball for his first big-league K, and hit 100 in five of the six pitches during the at-bat. The next hitter, Seiya Suzuki, went down on three pitches.

After walking Cody Bellinger, Skenes escaped the first inning with no damage when Christopher Morel's 395-foot fly ball to dead center died at the warning track.

It took less than a full inning for Skenes to put his name in the Pirates record book, throwing the hardest pitch - and five of the seven hardest - in franchise history since data started being tracked in 2008.

It's almost time

Skenes emerged from the dugout to huge cheers just before 3:30 p.m.

The anticipation at PNC Park has grown to a fever before Skenes even arrived in the bullpen, and the crowd was fixated on every one of his warm-up pitches.

So, just who is Paul Skenes? Here's a primer for those unfamiliar with the 2023 first overall pick.

Skenes arrived at PNC Park on Saturday to find his No. 30 jersey in a locker next to that of another prized rookie starter, Jared Jones. The Pirates are hoping Jones and Skenes will be their rocks for the next decade.

Pittsburgh designated pitcher Roansy Contreras for assignment to make room for Skenes on the 40-man roster, general manager Ben Cherington announced, per Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune.

Skenes gets MLB promotion

Skenes received the call Wednesday that he'd be promoted to the majors after dominating Triple-A. The Pirates opted to start Skenes in the minor leagues to begin the season, but he quickly proved too advanced for that level, posting an 0.99 ERA and 45 strikeouts over seven starts (27 1/3 innings).

Pirates take Skenes with No. 1 pick

The Pirates selected Skenes with the first pick in the 2023 draft out of LSU on July 9, 2023. The left-hander posted a 1.69 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 209 strikeouts in 122 2/3 innings in his only season with the Tigers.

Skenes signed a contract that included a record $9.2 million signing bonus.

"I'm just looking forward to what's to come with playing baseball and hopefully winning a World Series or two in Pittsburgh," Skenes said on draft day.