The Pittsburgh Pirates' latest phenom, Paul Skenes, made quite the splash in his major league debut, touching triple digits on the radar gun 17 times—sending a current of excitement through the near-sellout crowd at PNC Park. According to CBS News Pittsburgh, Skenes, patrolling the mound against the Chicago Cubs, notched up seven strikeouts, a feat not seen from a Pirates rookie his age since 1907.
However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for Skenes, who gave up three runs over his four-plus innings, including a homer to Cubs' Nico Hoerner, in what was a bit of a mixed bag for the top-ranked pitching prospect. While he demonstrated a powerful arm, the rookie's performance was marred by moments of lost control, resulting in a couple of walks and a hit batter. Still, the crowd, which included Skenes' prominent girlfriend, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, welcomed his first big league exit with resounding applause. This brilliant yet patchy display left fans and analysts alike wondering how this young pitcher's season will unfold.
Despite any first-game jitters, Skenes showed glimpses of a potentially dominant future in the majors—flashing a "splinker," an uncanny fusion of a splitter and sinker detailed by The San Diego Union-Tribune, that already has the baseball world talking. Skenes's arrival was highly anticipated, indicated by the sale of his No. 30 jerseys for a cool $200 a pop, as fans are eager to see if he can live up to the hype surrounding his transition from a College World Series MVP to a major league pitcher.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington have both expressed the intention to manage Skenes's workload carefully, given his relative inexperience and age. Cherington, in particular, has been vocal about the pitcher's potential, stating, "There is no reason to put any ceiling on him," in a conversation reported by the Mexican sports site Planta Libre. With his unique blend of heat and inventive pitches, along with the substantial attention he draws everywhere he goes, Skenes may just be shaping up to become the Pirates' cornerstone for years to come.
After his debut, Skenes recognized that while he can dazzle the crowd with his velocity, pitching at the highest level requires more than just raw power—it demands control and strategy. In what will likely be a less hyped setting, he's scheduled for a rematch against the Cubs at Wrigley Field next week. Skenes, known for his routine-oriented approach, will no doubt be eager to display a depth of skill that exceeds the boundaries of a radar gun's metrics and equilibrium that leans less on the novelty of his arrival and more on the substance of his performance.
