Paul Skenes Reveals Cause of Disappointing Season

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has struggled throughout the 2026 season, revealing that one contributing factor was participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic during spring training. While acknowledging other contributing elements, Skenes believes the World Baseball Classic was a significant factor in his poor performance.

He confessed to having a career-worst 3.91 ERA through 31 starts, losing double-digit games for the second straight season. Skenes' career-high ERA prior to this year was 2.00. His fastball velocity, which averaged 98.2 mph during his 2025 Cy Young season, has declined to an average of 96.8 mph. Moreover, his whiff rate, strikeout rate, and walk rate have worsened during the 2026 campaign.

Despite a season that exceeded expectations for the Pirates, they still cannot secure a postseason berth. The team is battling in a tough division, with the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs posing significant challenges. Currently, the Pirates sit seven games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card race. With their remaining two series against the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers rendered meaningless due to their elimination from the postseason, the Pirates can look back on an otherwise impressive season, aiming to return to the postseason for the first time since 2015.