Tag: Ben McDonald

Orioles announcer Kevin Brown perfectly sang like Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge during blowout loss

It’s so nice to have Kevin Brown back in the broadcast booth.

Baltimore Orioles play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Brown was in the news for an unfair suspension earlier this month, but now, it’s for much better reasons.

Brown was recently suspended by the Orioles for pointing out the franchise struggled against the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a dumb saga. Fans of the team and fellow MLB broadcasters around the league defended Brown, and he has now returned to the broadcast booth.

Fortunately back on the call, Brown is already providing gems even during games in which Baltimore is getting blown out. Here is Brown providing an incredible impression of Blink-182 singer Tom DeLonge (while the Orioles trailed the Padres, 10-0) for color commentator Ben McDonald:

If you’re anything like me, once he got that lyric out, your brain already rushed to complete the rest of the song and you were shouting, “Don’t waste your time on me you’re already the voice inside my heeeeeead.”

Even if not, though, it’s just nice to have the announcer back. Brown, who paid tribute to the late Michael K. Williams from The Wire in 2021, is clearly equipped and ready with the best pop culture references.

But it’s fun to learn that he is also probably great at karaoke as well.

(Pro tip: Pop punk songs like Blink’s “I Miss You” are often crowd favorites during karaoke singalongs.)

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Paul Skenes wins MCWS Most Outstanding Player

Paul Skenes was ultimately not needed in Game 3 against Florida, but his efforts in Omaha earned him recognition all the same.

What can be said about [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] that has not been said already?

Skenes pitched 15.2 innings during the [autotag]Men’s College World Series[/autotag] and he allowed only two runs on seven hits, 21 strikeouts, and two walks.

For his efforts, he was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

He was available for Game 3 against Florida if [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] would have needed him. Skenes was seen getting warmed up in the dugout early on in the game, but [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] pitched so well that he was not needed.

Skenes accomplished the goal he set out for the day he committed to LSU. He wanted to win a national championship with the Tigers and he did just that.

He finished this season with a 12-2 record, a 1.69 ERA, 209 strikeouts, and only 20 walks. He broke the single-season strikeout record set by [autotag]Ben McDonald[/autotag] and he broke the season-long goal of money raised for Folds of Honor.

On top of all of those accomplishments, Skenes will likely be taken No. 1 or No. 2 overall in this year’s MLB draft by either the Pirates or the Nationals.

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LSU’s Dylan Crews wins Golden Spikes Award

Dylan Crews joins Ben McDonald as the second Tiger to be named National Player of the Year.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] added another accolade to his legendary career at LSU on Sunday before Game 2 of the College World Series final against Florida.

Crews received the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the National Player of the Year in college baseball. He’s the second LSU player to receive the award, joining [autotag]Ben McDonald[/autotag], who won it in 1989.

A consensus top-two prospect in the 2023 MLB draft, Crews is batting .418 on the year, the sixth-best mark in the country. His .562 on-base percentage ranks second in the nation, and he has reached base in every game this season.

As of publication, his total on-base streak is 73 games.

Crews will look to add one more piece of hardware to his collection as he looks to lead LSU to its seventh national title and its first since 2009. The Tigers have a chance to do just that on Sunday afternoon against the Gators.

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Tommy White walks it off in extras against Wake Forest to send LSU to the national championship

Tommy White hit a two-run shot to win the game and send the Tigers to the national championship series against Florida.

Many games are advertised as “Games of the Century.” It is very rare that those games ever live up to that hype.

This one did.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] against Wake Forest’s [autotag]Rhett Lowder[/autotag], two of the best pitchers in the country, with each team’s season on the line.

This game was all about defense until the 11th inning when [autotag]Tommy White[/autotag] broke the shutout with a two-run walk-off homer to lift the Tigers past the Demon Deacons and into the national championship series against Florida.

The most exciting thing to happen during the first part of this game was Skenes breaking former Tiger, [autotag]Ben McDonald[/autotag]’s, single-season strikeout record in the SEC. It only took Skenes two innings to break it.

Lowder’s night was finished after he pitched seven innings and allowed zero runs on three hits, six strikeouts, and two walks. In the top of the eighth inning, Wake Forest had runners on the corner with only one out. They tried a safety squeeze where the hitter would try to bunt the runner in. [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] said “not today.”

Skenes’ day was done after pitching eight innings and allowing zero runs on two hits, nine strikeouts, and a walk. [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] came out of the bullpen to replace him. Neither team was able to score in the ninth inning so we headed to extras.

In the bottom of the eleventh inning, Crews singled to chase [autotag]Michael Massey[/autotag] from the mound. The Demon Deacons brought in [autotag]Camden Minacci[/autotag] to face White with the winning run on first base. On the first pitch to White, Minacci hung a breaking ball up in the zone…and the rest was history.

White hit a two-run shot to win the game for LSU and send the Tigers to the national championship series. LSU will get a rematch of the 2017 national championship with a shot at a different outcome.

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LSU’s Paul Skenes breaks Ben McDonald’s SEC strikeout record

Skenes entered Thursday’s game against Wake Forest with 200 strikeouts on the season.

It didn’t take [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] long to break Ben McDonald’s single-season strikeout record on Thursday night against Wake Forest. Skenes entered the game with 200 strikeouts on the season, and he only needed three strikeouts to break the record.

That only took him two innings.

I would figure there were bets made in Las Vegas on what pitch Skenes would use to get the record-breaking strikeout. Most people probably went with the fastball. Why not? Skenes’ average miles per hour on his fastball is 100.

That answer was wrong though. An 88-mile-per-hour changeup is what got the job done.

The record is a great thing to have for Skenes, but he is more concerned with winning the baseball game. LSU has to beat Wake Forest to advance to the national championship series against the Florida Gators.

Skenes will likely be the No. 1 or 2 draft pick in the 2023 MLB draft. His teammate [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] is expected to go one pick before or behind him.

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Paul Skenes’ fundraiser goal has been surpassed

On Saturday, Tigers fans helped Skenes accomplish his season-long goal.

Before [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] made a single start for the LSU Tigers, he made a goal to give back to the families of fallen or disabled military and first responders. His goal was to raise $20,000 for Fields of Honor. He even pledged to donate $10 for every strikeout he had this season.

I’m sure he had no idea that he would eclipse 200 strikeouts with a chance to break [autotag]Ben McDonald[/autotag]’s record for most strikeouts in a single season by a Tigers pitcher. So far, Skenes is on the hook for $2,000 from his strikeouts alone, but his contribution has not been added to the total raised yet.

Even without his contribution, Tiger fans helped Skenes accomplish his season-long goal on Sunday. As of 5 p.m. CT, Skenes’ campaign has raised $20,246. LSU fans are some of the best fans in the country. That goes without saying.

Skenes has become a legend on and off the diamond. Hopefully, we will get to see him pitch for LSU one more time.

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Paul Skenes breaks down dominant outing against Tennessee in CWS debut

Skenes pitched 7.2 innings, striking out 12 batters and allowing just two runs.

In the first College World Series appearance of his career, potential No. 1 overall MLB draft pick [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] didn’t flinch.

Skenes has been practically unbeatable all season, and he was dominant once again while leading the Tigers to a 6-3 win over the Tennessee Volunteers to advance to the winners’ bracket, where it will face No. 1 overall seed Wake Forest.

“It was awesome,” Skenes said regarding the atmosphere in Omaha, per On3. “Everything I could have asked for. Alex Box is pretty cool, but this is pretty cool, too. Awesome experience.”

In 7.2 innings, Skenes tossed 12 strikeouts Saturday night. He didn’t allow a run until the final pitch of his night, an RBI double, and he would be credited with a second earned run allowed after he was pulled.

Still, it was a nearly flawless outing for Skenes, who now has 200 strikeouts on the year and is just two away from tying the single-season program record set by [autotag]Ben McDonald[/autotag] in 1989.

“Just try to stay as relaxed as possible,” Skenes said regarding his pregame mindset, according to the ESPN broadcast. “If I get too amped up, then honestly that’s where I get into trouble. Honestly just trying to have fun with it.”

Skenes’ first 20 fastballs all surpassed 100 miles per hour, and he threw 46 total pitches on Saturday night in triple digits.

“Changeup for sure. Slider, curveball. Fastball was off and on, to be honest,” Skenes said of what worked most for him Saturday. “It was nice to be able to make pitches when I had to and had some good defense back there, too.”

LSU got the win with Skenes and will now look to upset the Demon Deacons in the winners’ bracket. The Tigers will almost certainly only see Skenes again if they can reach the national championship series, in which he would likely start the first game.

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Paul Skenes named Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year

The best pitcher in college baseball has added another award to his ever-growing list of accomplishments.

The best pitcher in college baseball has added another award to his ever-growing list of accomplishments.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] has been named the [autotag]Collegiate Baseball Newspaper 2023 National Player of the Year[/autotag]. He becomes the third LSU player to ever win the coveted award, joining [autotag]Ben McDonald[/autotag] (1989) and [autotag]Lloyd Peever[/autotag] (1992).

Skenes has put up some gaudy stats this season. He has a 10-2 record with a 1.89 ERA in 90.1 innings. He has totaled 167 strikeouts with only 17 walks. Skenes is No. 1 in the nation in strikeouts (167), strikeouts per nine innings (16.64), and WHIP (0.79). Skenes is No. 3 in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.82), No. 4 in ERA (1.89) and No. 6 in hits allowed per nine innings (5.38).

He will look to keep the LSU season alive as the Tigers play in their regional this weekend. Game 1 will be against Tulane at 2 p.m., but I don’t think we will see Skenes for that game.

If everything goes according to plan, I think we would see him in Game 2 when LSU plays the winner of Oregon State/Sam Houston.

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LSU’s Thatcher Hurd wore Paul Skenes’ glove while leading Tigers to SEC tournament win over South Carolina

I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious.

LSU pitcher [autotag]Thatcher Hurd[/autotag] was one of the team’s most anticipated offseason additions after coming in from UCLA.

He’s had a bit of an up-and-down campaign that featured some struggles, especially early on. But he’s been pitching better recently, and he delivered one of his best outings of the entire season on Wednesday as he led LSU to an SEC tournament-opening win over South Carolina.

Hurd earned the win as he pitched 5.1 innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs with four strikeouts and two walks. He struggled a bit toward the end of his performance after retiring the first 12 batters, giving up a pair of singles and walks early in the sixth inning, ending his day.

Still, it was an encouraging sign for a player who will certainly be relied upon to win games in the postseason. Perhaps Hurd is just continuing to develop, but for the more superstitious among you, there may be a different reason.

He was wearing star pitcher [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag]’ glove during Wednesday’s game. Former LSU pitcher [autotag]Ben McDonald[/autotag] dropped that tidbit during the SEC Network broadcast, and a zoom-in seemed to back it up.

During a postgame interview with the SEC Network, Hurd confirmed that he was using Skenes’ glove and has been for the past few games after breaking his. Per Hurd, it’s one of several gloves Skenes uses, and he called it a “hand-me-down.”

Certainly, using a different glove doesn’t explain the leap Hurd seemed to take on Wednesday. But with that being said, he should probably keep using it moving forward.

You know, just to be safe.

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Paul Skenes now ranks 6th all-time at LSU in single-season strikeouts

With just eight more strikeouts, Skenes will hold sole possession of second place.

You can find examples of transfers making a major impact across college baseball, but perhaps no single player has made a bigger difference with his new team than [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] at LSU.

The former Air Force pitcher made a bet on himself last offseason, and it has paid off tremendously. He’s become the best pitcher in college baseball and could be a top-two pick in the MLB draft this summer.

Even as LSU has had struggles behind him on the mound, Skenes has been practically unbeatable as the ace. He boasts a 10-1 record with just a 1.69 earned run average. He’s walked just 14 batters compared to the 152 he’s struck out.

The latter mark places Skenes at No. 6 all-time in the LSU single-season record book.

With only 79.2 innings pitched this season, Skenes has been far and away the most efficient player on this list. He’s the only one in the top 11 to pitch fewer than 100 innings.

Things are very tight within the top five as Skenes is just four strikeouts away from cracking it. With eight more strikeouts, he would take sole possession of No. 2 all-time.

Catching [autotag]Ben McDonald[/autotag], who sits way ahead of the rest of the pack with an unthinkable 202 strikeouts in 1989, may not be in the cards. Barring injury, however, Skenes should have little problem securing the No. 2 spot as LSU looks to make a run to the College World Series.

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