Leadoff hitter in Skenes and Strasburg debuts? The same former MVP

The anticipation and hype surrounding Paul Skenes’ Major League debut has been so reminiscent to that which followed Stephen Strasburg when he, too, made his debut just under a year after being selected first overall in the 2009 Draft.

But the two dates have even more in common, something that might feel a little more cosmic. When Strasburg, then also 21 years old, made his Major League debut on June 8, 2010, he did so against the Pirates. The first batter he faced in his big league career was Pittsburgh’s own phenom, 23-year-old center fielder Andrew McCutchen.

? Skenes strikes out 7 in record-setting debut

Like Strasburg, at the time, McCutchen was something of an unknown. He was still a year out from his excellent five-year run from 2011-15 in which he made five consecutive All-Star teams and garnered four top-five NL MVP finishes (including a win in 2013). At the time, the idea that that young man, who the Pirates hoped would be a mainstay in Pittsburgh for years to come, would someday be a well-traveled veteran who would put in time with four other teams -- including the intrastate rival Phillies -- hadn’t crossed anyone’s mind yet.

Clearly a very different moment from Skenes’ debut, in which a now-37-year-old McCutchen also led off for the Pirates -- this time serving as the designated hitter (in a National League ballpark, no less).

A testament not only to baseball’s poetic nature, but also to the staying power of Mr. McCutchen. And yes, we are feeling quite nostalgic.