How to watch Paul Skenes' MLB debut, Pirates vs. Cubs

The highly anticipated MLB debut for former LSU superstar pitcher Paul Skenes is finally here, with Skenes set to make his first big-leagues appearance on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

Skenes will wear No. 30 when he takes the mound about two weeks shy of his 22nd birthday.

That makes Skenes only the third Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher in the Wild Card era (1995) to earn a start before his 22nd birthday, with the others being Roansy Contreras and Sean Burnett.

Skenes’ debut will be hotly anticipated. So how can you watch it?

Game time is set for 4:05 p.m. ET and the game will air on SportsNet Pittsburgh and the MLB Network. MLB.TV will also carry the game for free.

So why all the fuss about Skenes?

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 started seven games this year and sports a 0.99 ERA. He has gone 27.1 innings and allowed just three earned runs on 17 hits, striking out 45 while walking only eight.

That got him the call-up from the Pirates.

There is a whole lot of potential for the former LSU standout, who spent just one year with the Tigers after transferring in from Air Force. But what a year it was.

LSU captured a national championship with Paul Skenes as the ace on the staff, and he was every bit the part of an arm that could carry you to a championship.

Skenes was named the 2023 Dick Howser Trophy winner, the National Player of the Year by D1Baseball and Collegiate Baseball, a consensus first-team All-American and the College World Series Most Outstanding Player.

That came after he was a first-team All-American in both of his two years at Air Force.

In his college career, Paul Skenes went 24-6 as a starter and had a 2.18 ERA. He even saved 11 games, doing so as a freshman at Air Force. He struck out 335 batters in 235.0 innings pitched, while walking only 59.

Astoundingly, Skenes gave up only 14 home runs in his college pitching career, a remarkable feat.