It was not a normal Friday night in downtown Erie. The SeaWolves, the home of the Detroit Tigers Double-A affiliate, were not only hosting the Altoona Curve but the Paul Skenes 2023 summer tour. Skenes, the number one overall draft pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates, has had, to put it mildly, a pretty good year so far.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander, who can throw up to 100 mph, shattered both the SEC and LSU single-season strikeout records and was named the MVP of the College World Series. In addition to his electric performance on the mound, he arrived with an accompanying entourage.
UMPC Park drew a sellout crowd of 6,767, a noticeable departure from its usual Friday night audience. Greg Gania, the voice of the Erie SeaWolves, described it as one of the season's loudest crowds.
"The number of fans standing, not even in their seats, captivated by every move Skenes made on the field was telling. He clearly brought that energy with him," Gania said. "The LSU colors of purple and gold were also noticeably on display, which is really rare to see."
Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes bringing massive crowds to MiLB
Though Pirates fans are commonly seen in Erie — Pittsburgh is less than two hours away on Interstate 79 — Paul Skenes has attracted a dedicated, high-energy, and youthful following that has passionately trailed him since his draft.
Skenes kept the experience in perspective, acknowledging it was "awesome" to see the Pirates fans come out to support the team. When you hear him speak about how close Pittsburgh is to contention as he is a part of their future, it comes across as genuine.
As far as his performance went, he pitched two innings, allowed one hit and struck out three. The single he allowed to Jace Jung was the only hard contact he allowed, as he sat around 96-98 mph with his fastball and displayed an impressive change that was around 88-89.
As his standout 2023 baseball season winds down, Skenes acknowledges he has a long journey ahead. However, a future in Pittsburgh may not be too distant.
