Joey Votto: Paul Skenes' MLB Debut with Pirates Reminds Me of Stephen Strasburg

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes reminded Joey Votto of former Washington Nationals star Steven Strasburg in his MLB debut on Saturday.

"Watching Skenes reminds me of facing Strasburg after his call-up," the former Cincinnati Reds star wrote. "I took a fastball in my first at-bat, looked up, and saw '100' on the board. I thought, 'Uh oh.' The next pitch? The best curveball I'd ever seen."

Votto added: "This beautiful game keeps moving fwd."

Skenes, who led LSU to the 2023 Men's College World Series title, earned his first Pirates start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.

Prior to his call-up Skenes had recorded a 0.99 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Votto made the comparison after facing Strasburg 26 times during his Reds career, per Stathead Baseball.

He isn't the first time to compare the hard-throwing Skenes with the former Nationals star.

Like Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in 2009, Skenes was selected by the Pirates at the top of the 2023 draft.

Both regularly threw over 100 miles per hour and were renowned for their control of their fastball, as noted by MLB.com's Jim Callis.

When Strasburg made his debut against the Pirates on June 8, 2010, Pittsburgh's leadoff hitter was Andrew McCutchen, the same batter leading off for the Pirates during Skenes' debut.

Skenes and Strasburg also earned similar levels of hype around their first MLB starts. After Skenes struck out seven batters in 4.0 innings, allowing two hits and two earned runs as the Pirates pulled out to a 6-1 lead, he received a standing ovation from PNC Park.

Strasburg went on to win a World Series MVP award and three All-Star nominations. The Pirates are surely hoping Skenes will be able to achieve similar accolades during his career.