Skenes vs. Crews: LSU teammates, top-2 picks in '23 square off for 1st time

PITTSBURGH -- The Monday night matchup at PNC Park had been a long time in the making.

Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, the first college teammates to be selected No. 1 and No. 2 overall in the MLB Draft, faced off in a Major League game for the first time in their young careers.

Skenes took home bragging rights in the Pirates’ 10-3 win over the Nationals. He bested Crews in two at-bats as part of his six-inning outing in which he allowed two runs (one earned) and struck out six.

“He’s one of the best for a reason,” Crews said of Skenes. “He looked really good out there.”

Skenes and Crews were connected before LSU. They were teammates on Team USA, plus Crews hit his first college home run off Skenes in 2021 when the righty was at Air Force.

On June 26, 2023, Skenes and Crews reached the pinnacle of collegiate baseball together at LSU by winning the College World Series. Skenes was named the World Series Most Outstanding Player, and Crews was named the recipient of that year's Golden Spikes Award -- given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the United States.

• Skenes makes history AGAIN, this time with a little help from a friend

Two weeks later, the Pirates selected Skenes No. 1 overall. The Nationals then chose Crews with the No. 2 pick.

The following season, they made their respective Major League debuts. Skenes embarked on his NL Rookie of the Year run on May 11, 2024, and Crews debuted on Aug. 26.

Because of the Pirates' rotation schedule, the pair didn’t face off when the Nationals visited Pittsburgh early last September. Their first meeting waited until Monday -- 21 months after their momentous summer of 2023.

“I know it’s the first of many times that we’re going to be facing each other,” Skenes said. “He’s seen all of my stuff, and I’m sure the video out there is circulating of the first time I faced him. It was cool. Kind of a full-circle thing. There’s probably a handful of guys up there with him in terms of guys that I’ve played with that I respect as much as him. Just really good to share a field with him again.”

Crews vs. Skenes: Round 1
Skenes and Crews faced each other for the first time in the second inning with two outs and a runner on first. Skenes threw an 83.9 mph slider for a called strike. Crews evened the count by taking an 84.3 mph sweeper low and outside, then fouled off a 96.8 mph fastball. On the fourth pitch -- an 85.9 mph slider -- Crews sent a 67.5 mph grounder back to Skenes, who ended the inning with an underhand toss to first baseman Enmanuel Valdez.

Skenes’ plan of attack for going after his former teammate was as simple as it gets: Get him out.

“I knew he was fast, [but] that first ball that came back to me, it was shocking how fast he was,” Skenes said of Crews. “I thought I was going to have time to run it over and toss it over there, but [I] had to get rid of it pretty quick. He doesn't have many holes. You just have to go out there and execute against him.”

“There were some good pitches,” said Crews. “Landed a good changeup right there. I was on top of it and grounded out back to him. His job is to get me out, and that’s what he did.”

Crews vs. Skenes: Round 2
With two outs and nobody on in the fifth, Crews fell behind 0-2 after taking an 84.9 mph sweeper for a called strike and swinging through an 87.4 mph changeup. But when Skenes missed the zone on three consecutive pitches -- an 86 mph slider low, an 88.3 mph changeup inside and a 98.3 mph fastball high -- the friends were locked in a full count.

Crews made contact on a 98.5 mph four-seamer, yet he again ended the inning with a groundout. In spite of dashing to first base with a sprint speed of 30 feet per second, which is considered elite per Statcast, Crews was unable to beat the throw from third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, who had made a charging barehanded play.

“He executed some good pitches,” Crews said. “I always give it 100 percent. It’s good that the sprint speed, I guess, is a little up. But I try to give myself a chance every time.”

Skenes improved to 2-1 on the season with a 2.96 ERA. Monday was a bounce-back performance after allowing a career-high five earned runs in his previous outing against the Cardinals.

Crews has yet to get into an offensive rhythm in his first full season in the Majors. He is batting .106 with a .249 OPS.

“[Crews] got to 3-2 a couple times [tonight],” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “[Skenes is] tough. He’s tough. I’m sure those two guys will talk about it here tonight, but he pitched well.”