Jay Johnson jokes about Paul Skenes' MLB debut: 'I used to love days like that'

LSU coach Jay Johnson certainly misses having Paul Skenes on his roster. Skenes, who led the Tigers to a College World Series title in 2023, made his MLB debut on Saturday for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Skenes finished the day with an impressive stat line, striking out seven batters across the first four inning against the Chicago Cubs. Upon being informed of his former star’s performance during an in-game interview against Alabama on SEC Network, Johnson joked about wishing he still had him on his team.

“About 2 strikeouts per inning,” he said. “I used to love days like that.”

Skenes was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft coming off his impressive year at LSU. He transferred to the Tigers after spending the first two years of his college career at Air Force.

He went on to put up one of the most impressive seasons the school has ever seen, leading the SEC with 209 strikeouts to average 15.33 strikeouts per nine innings. His ERA of 1.69 ranked him No. 2 in the country as he claimed the National Player of the Year. He pitched 32.1 innings across LSU’s NCAA Tournament run to record a 3-0 record with 42 strikeouts and only three walks.

Now Skenes will aim to carry that momentum over with him into the pros. It wasn’t all perfect in his debut as he also gave up a home run, one of six total hits he allowed.

Jay Johnson and LSU have compiled a 33-19 record thus far in their first season without Paul Skenes. The Tigers defeated Alabama by a score of 6-3 on Saturday and will face the Crimson Tide again in the rubber match at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday.

More on the MLB debut for Paul Skenes

He checked in with some serious smoke from the jump, striking out his first batter on a fastball that was clocked at 101 miles per hour.

The former top overall pick in the draft threw 10 fastballs in the first inning alone, with the slowest clocking in at 99.8 miles per hour.

With his first four batters, Skenes struck out the second batter with an offspeed pitch. He walked the third batter he faced, and then forced the fourth batter to hit a long fly ball that was caught by the Pirates outfielders.

Skenes, who was the No. 1 overall MLB Draft pick in 2023, has thoroughly impressed in the minor leagues. He threw for three different teams in 2023 and put together a 5.40 ERA after making five starts. However, he would significantly improve in 2024 as he got more comfortable.

The talented flamethrower has played in 12 games for the Pirates in the minor leagues, allowing a batting average of .179, with an ERA of 1.85, while throwing 55 strikeouts. Those impressive numbers got him the call-up from the franchise.