Paul Skenes reminds Cubs fans of their own former Rookie of the Year

The Chicago Cubs draw up against Paul Skenes on Thursday, when they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the finale of their first series against their NL Central rivals. The Cubs represent a familiar foe for Skenes, with Thursday marking his fifth start against them, the most frequent opponent in his young MLB career. 

The Cubs were Skenes’ first introduction to Major League Baseball last season, with the right-hander making his Major League debut against them on May 11. Skenes showed flashes of potential in his first career start, striking out seven in just four innings, but was also tagged with two walks and three runs before the Pirates rallied for a 10-9 victory.

It was his second career start where he officially put the League on notice. Making his first-ever visit to Wrigley Field as a Major Leaguer, Skenes took a no-hitter through the sixth inning and striking out eleven batters, with his lone baserunner coming from a walk by Michael Busch. 

From there, Skenes pitched like he was on cruise control. He finished the year with an ERA of 1.96 in 23 starts, becoming only the fifth pitcher to start the All-Star Game in his rookie season. He was named the National League Rookie of the Year and finished third in NL Cy Young voting altogether. 

It was a season that caused much jealousy for Cubs fans, as watching a division rival debut a generational pitching talent is never fun. 

However, Cubs fans should remember when they had a similar taste of greatness in 1998. 

The 1998 MLB season is often regarded as the summer that saved baseball. Sammy Sosa was torching baseballs left and right on the North Side, going toe-to-toe with Mark McGwire for the single-season home run record. One additional highlight from the season was the debut of Kerry Wood.

Like Skenes, Kerry Wood was a towering right-hander with a wicked fastball and ridiculous breaking pitches to boot. Wood made his debut on April 12, giving up four runs in 4.2 innings in a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Expos. However, it was what he did less than a month later that defined his career forever.

On May 6, Wood took the mound against the Houston Astros for just the fifth start of his career. Wood went all nine innings, the only baserunner coming from a controversial hit by Ricky Gutierrez that many argue should have been called an error. 

Wood made history, setting the record for most strikeouts by a rookie pitcher, while simultaneously tying the Major League record with 20 strikeouts in a single game. 

Wood finished the season striking out 233 batters for a record of 13-6, winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award in the process. Alongside Mark Prior, Cubs fans believed they had a rotation capable of finally breaking the famous “Curse of the Billy Goat”.

Of course, that didn’t happen, with Cubs fans having to wait until 2016 for the championship drought to be broken.  

Injuries limited Wood across his career, only reaching the 30-start plateau twice. The Cubs began experimenting with him as a reliever as early as 2005, with Wood recording 34 saves to go with an All-Star nomination in 2008. 

Wood finished his career as a two-time All-Star, with a record of 86-75 across 14 seasons. Of course, Pirates fans will hope for more out of Skenes. Still, in just two years, Skenes appears on track to be a thorn in the side of the Cubs for years to come.