PITTSBURGH — Christian Scott is well-acquainted with Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes. Not exactly on a personal level, but the former Florida Gator watched Skenes plenty when he pitched LSU past Scott’s alma mater in the College World Series last year.
Any ill will the Mets’ rookie right-hander might have been harboring against the Tigers quickly turned to appreciation when Skenes was on the hill in Omaha.
“It always seemed like he was throwing eight or nine innings when he was out there,” Scott told the Daily News on Friday at PNC Park. “He was super impressive. I mean, I’ve never seen somebody able to dominate the college levels on the mound as he was able to do.”
Skenes is still dominating hitters, but now he’s doing it at baseball’s highest level.
Scott, another rookie righty, is back in the big leagues at the right time. The Mets called him up earlier this week to take Tylor Megill’s spot in the rotation. For a few days, it looked as though Scott would square off against the Pirates’ other emerging rookie starter, right-hander Jared Jones, who has been excellent this season, posting a 3.56 ERA with a 26.4% strikeout rate in 16 games.
Jones was placed on the injured list Thursday with a lat strain, but Scott will be paying attention to what he does the rest of the season, knowing the trio will always be linked as members of the 2024 MLB rookie class.
“Those are two dynamite arms,” Scott said.
SFriday night, Skenes opened the series by limiting the Mets to two earned runs on four hits over seven innings. He struck out eight in his 10th career big league outing. It was the ninth time Skenes has struck out seven or more hitters, setting the Major League record for most within a player’s first 10 career games.
Scott watched to see how he attacked hitters, what his presence on the mound looked like and how he used his infamous “splinker,” the 21-year-old’s hybrid pitch that plays like a splitter with a lot of vertical drop and a lot of velocity.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the entire team had been curious to watch Skenes pitch, but for Scott, there is more to gain. The rest of the weekend, he’ll watch to see how Skenes and Jones go about their business off the mound: how they conduct themselves, how they structure their workload and how they fit in with their veteran teammates.
Scott and Skenes never crossed paths in the SEC since Scott is four years older and Skenes transferred from Air Force for his final season of college ball. But Mets minor league reliever Paul Gervase, an LSU product, has told his teammates in the New York system about Skenes’ makeup.
Skenes is considered one of the best pitching prospects since Gerrit Cole, but much of what makes Cole and other Cy Young-caliber pitchers great is their makeup and their mental approach to the game. Scott has been toying with the idea of introducing himself if an opportunity arises, because it’s one thing to hear about what makes a pitcher great from a teammate, but it’s another thing to see it in person.
And Skenes has been pretty great, beating the Mets to move to 5-0 on the season.
“His arm durability was off the charts here at LSU,” Scott said. “Then, to come in and have success at the high level early on in his career is really impressive. So I’ve got nothing but respect for him and the way that he goes about his business.”
REMEMBERING MARC LEVINE
Longtime Mets team photographer Marc Levine passed away suddenly Thursday, leaving the organization heartbroken. Levine captured iconic moments in club history for 35 years, forging deep ties to players, coaches, staffers and even fans in the process.
“We consider him a friend,” Mendoza said. “[He was] a part of this organization because he was such a great human being.”
The Mets were informed following their loss in Washington to the Nationals on Thursday, right before they traveled to Pittsburgh. The team plans to honor Levine and his contributions to the organization when the Mets return home to Citi Field next week.
“It was a tough pill to swallow yesterday when the game was over and we received the news because he was just with us a couple of days ago,” Mendoza said. “We were all shocked. So, prayers to his family. We will honor him every day we get an opportunity to come out here and put this uniform on.”
DIAZ SET FOR RETURN
Closer Edwin Diaz will be eligible for activation Saturday after serving a 10-game suspension for a violation on foreign substances. The right-hander has thrown two simulated games in anticipation for a return.
