The Pittsburgh Pirates must wait a little longer to welcome Paul Skenes back to spring training.
Skenes pitched Team USA to a World Baseball Classic victory on Sunday night. Last year’s National League Cy Young Award winner stymied a loaded Dominican Republic lineup to one run over 4 1/3 innings in a 2-1 semifinal win in Miami.
Bubba Chandler watched his Pirates rotation mate navigate an All-Star offense to send the United States into Tuesday’s WBC final. The young starting pitcher discussed his teammate’s success on Monday, per José Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
“Super excited to watch him,” Chandler said. “Dude’s a freaking stud. It’s a pleasure to have him in the clubhouse. Can’t wait for them to win and get our guys back. It’s a great day to be an American.”
Skenes limited the damage to a solo home run from Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero in the second inning. Team USA gained the lead with solo shots from Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony in the fourth, with the latter going yard off Pittsburgh offseason acquisition Gregory Soto.
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Former Pirates closer David Bednar pitched a scoreless seventh inning for Team USA, and the Pittsburgh-born Mason Miller secured the save on a controversial called third strike. Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz grounded out as a DR pinch-hitter in the bottom of the ninth.
The U.S. advanced behind another stellar start from Skenes, who led Team USA to two victories with nine strikeouts and one run relinquished in 8 1/3 innings. Courtesy of MLB.com’s Jason McKey, the 23-year-old is eager to carry over lessons learned from his WBC experience to the Pirates.
“Hopefully we’ll implement some of it in Pittsburgh, things that can make us better just by seeing how the best in the world go about their business,” Skenes said. “I’m excited to do that.”
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Skenes won’t pitch when Team USA plays in the WBC final against either Italy or Venezuela on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
More MLB: Pirates Ace Paul Skenes Reflects On ‘Unbelievable’ World Baseball Classic Experience
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