At the end of last August, the Chicago Cubs called up one of their top pitching prospects, Jordan Wicks, to make his major league debut against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. It was an exciting moment for him and the Cubs, representing the beginning of what was to come. The Cubs have a lot of top-tier talent in their farm system. Wicks was one of the first to come up and show what he had.
Wicks took the mound on a beautiful Saturday evening at PNC Park, wearing the familiar road grey uniform. He was tasked with taking on a sub-par Pirates team that was well out of contention. The Cubs, remember, were right in the thick of the race for the division and a wild card spot at the time.
The Pirates started hot against Wicks. Ke’Bryan Hayes led off the game with a home run, followed by a single off the bat of Bryan Reynolds. After a walk to Andrew McCutchen, Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy came out to the mound. Whatever he said worked because that was the last traffic of the night the Pirates got off Wicks.
Wicks went on to pitch five innings of incredible baseball. The first three batters reached, but that was it for the night. Wicks struck out nine batters, tying a Cubs record for a debut that lasted for over a century. The Cubs went on to win the game 10-6.
The night will be one Wicks will never forget. Cubs fans who made the trip will remember history. But the calendar has now flipped to 2024. The Pirates have their own stud pitching prospect ready to take on the majors. Word on the street is his first start is coming at an inopportune time for the Cubs.
The Pittsburgh Pirates used the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft to select right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes from LSU. Skenes is a tall, powerful pitcher who has rifled through the minor leagues less than a year after being drafted. His next scheduled start with AAA Indianapolis is on Sunday, and it may be his last in the minors.
Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes he will be the starting pitcher for the Pirates when the Chicago Cubs come to town on Friday, May 10th. If everything goes as planned for Skenes on Sunday, he could join the Pirates anytime next week and be ready to make his debut against the Cubs.
What is that saying about karma? Wicks’ historic performance for the Cubs last August was amazing, especially on the road. Now, the Cubs are on the other side of things, with the Pirates bringing up their own sensational prospect.
At this point, it is unclear who will be scheduled to start that day for the Cubs. All signs are leading to Justin Steele returning to the active roster and getting the start on Monday night against the San Diego Padres. That will shake things up for a rotation that has yet to be at full strength this season.
The main concern will be if the Cubs can wake their bats up by the time they visit Pittsburgh. Since Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger went on the injured list, this lineup has found it difficult to score runs. Skenes isn’t going to make that situation any easier for them.
