Paul Skenes Leaves MLB Fans Stunned After Pirates' Disastrous 1st Inning vs. Mets in Season Opener

It took one inning for the optimism that typically surrounds Opening Day to dissipate in the Steel City.

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes couldn't make it out of the opening frame against the New York Mets. He left after making 37 pitches, with Pittsburgh trailing 5-2.

The bulk of the damage came when center fielder Oneil Cruz misplayed a fly ball and allowed three runs to come in.

When managers have quicker hooks than ever with their starting pitchers, Skenes' exit wasn't totally shocking. But nobody could've predicted the reigning National League Cy Young winner would fail to get to the second inning.

Social media reacted accordingly, with Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid piling on:

This is the first game of a 162-game season. One doesn't want to fall into overreactions that look misguided in another month or two. However, the Pirates' miscues reinforced what was already a big question coming into the year.

Adding Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn and Marcell Ozuna made the offense better, and improving the lineup was a necessity. That came at the cost of getting worse defensively, though.

In particular, sticking with Cruz in center looks like a recipe for disaster when he's surrounded by O'Hearn and Bryan Reynolds, neither of whom has a plus glove.

Skenes certainly wasn't his sharpest on the mound. He walked two batters and struck out one.

But the right-hander has to be able to count on his defense, and he couldn't do that on Opening Day.