Skenes Delivers Debut Gem Despite Pirates Late Collapse Against Cubs

The Chicago Cubs were the first team to draw a start against Paul Skenes, one of baseball’s most touted pitching prospects.

May 11, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Paul Skenes made his Major League debut against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, as the top pitching prospect in baseball started for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The game had early-season ramifications for both teams, as the Cubs were just one-half game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central while the Pirates were six games back. They’re hoping that Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick out of LSU last season, can give them a shot in the arm.

He showed the stuff that helped him get to the Majors after less than a full season in the minors. He struck out the first batter he faced, Mike Tauchman, which set off the crowd at PNC Park. Several of his fastball cleared 100 miles per hour. His breaking pitches featured, at times, 15 inches of break.

101 mph 🔥

First MLB strikeout for the @Pirates' Paul Skenes! pic.twitter.com/c7b9g1zJEx

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 11, 2024

And, at times, Chicago struggled to figure him out.

Skenes threw four-plus innings, giving up six hits and three earned runs. He walked two and struck out seven. He left with the Pirates up 6-1 and with two Cubs on base. The Cubs then blistered his relievers for five runs to tie the game. After the game was tied it was delayed by rain.

After he struck out Tauchman, he worked around a two-out walk issues to Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger in the first inning.

In the second Chicago made life much more treacherous for the 21-year-old right-hander.

Skenes hit Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner with a pitch, walked first baseman Michael Busch and gave up a single to Miles Mastrobuoni to load the bases with one out. Skenes leaned into a 101-mph fastball to strike out Yan Gomes and then threw Tauchman a 100 mph fastball to induce a groundout.

Christopher Morel singled off Skenes in the third but was called out trying to steal second after he was initially called safe. The Pirates challenged the call and won.

Chicago put an end to a potential shutout with one out in the fourth, as Nico Hoerner hit his second home run of the season. He connected on an 87 mph slider Skenes left in the middle of the plate. At the time it cut the Pittsburgh lead to 4-1.

NICO HOERNER HOMERS OFF PAUL SKENES pic.twitter.com/9VNgMudn5P

— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) May 11, 2024

Skenes left after giving up a double to Tauchman and a single to Seiya Suzuki to lead off the fifth inning. Reliever Kyle Nicolas entered the game and allowed both of Skenes’s runners to score and he gave up another before he was replaced by Josh Fleming, who gave up the game-tying run.

He started this season with Triple-A Indianapolis and in seven starts and 27.1 innings he had a 0.99 ERA with 45 strikeouts and eight walks. He allowed batters to hit just .175 against him.

He last pitched on Sunday against Buffalo, as he allowed three hits and two runs in 4.1 innings. He walked two and struck out four. Before that Skenes struck out at least six hitters in his previous five outings.