Former LSU ace Paul Skenes impressed in his Pittsburgh Pirates debut.
The 2023 No. 1 pick struck out seven batters across four innings of work against the Cubs and averaged 100 MPH on his fastball after hitting the mark 17 times.
Upon hearing about how his former player did in his first taste of MLB action, Tigers coach Jay Johnson had a funny reaction to the pitcher’s performance while eluding to the fact that he’d like to have him back in Baton Rouge.
“About 2 strikeouts per inning. I used to love days like that,” Johnson said.
Skenes’ former coach has been singing his praises all weekend. Telling Pittsburgh’s 93.7 “The FAN” what it meant to have him wearing purple and gold for LSU prior to Saturday’s start.
“One of the biggest game changers in my life that he landed at LSU,” Johnson explained. “I stand by this — if he was just a hitter for us last year, he would have hit 25-30 home runs and been a first-team All-American position player.”
“This is a special player and special human being,” the coach continued. “He’s ready to roll.”
The Pirates were able to get the win in Skenes’ inaugural start. They’ll look to keep it rolling with another win to close out their series with the Cubbies today.