The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t had much to celebrate so far this season, struggling through their first 42 games.
On Monday night, they suffered another tough loss—despite a stellar one-run outing from second-year star pitcher Paul Skenes—as the bullpen gave up three late runs, resulting in a 4-3 defeat to the New York Mets.
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With that loss, the Pirates dropped to 14-28 and sit in last place in the NL Central. However, if there’s one consistent bright spot on the roster, it’s Skenes and his remarkable performance since being drafted No. 1 overall out of LSU in 2023 and making his MLB debut in 2024.
On Tuesday, following his latest outing, Major League Baseball announced exciting news: Skenes has been selected to pitch for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The United States fell short in the last World Baseball Classic championship game, losing to Japan in a showdown headlined by superstar Shohei Ohtani. Now, as Team USA looks to reload its roster for 2026, some major moves are already being made—most notably, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has been named team captain.
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Team USA’s biggest weakness in the 2023 tournament was their pitching, and adding a dominant arm like Skenes, who is currently an early favorite for the NL Cy Young Award, is a massive boost.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30).Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
So far this season, Skenes has made nine starts and, while his record sits at 3-4, that’s largely due to poor run support. He’s posted an impressive 2.63 ERA, 53 strikeouts, a 1.006 WHIP, and a 1.4 WAR (wins above replacement).
During his 2024 rookie campaign, Skenes took the league by storm. He was named the National League starter for the All-Star Game and, across 23 starts, compiled a 1.96 ERA with 170 strikeouts, a 5.9 WAR, and an 11-3 record.
Related: Aaron Judge Becomes First 140+ RBI Player Since 2009