Full Breakdown
Paul Skenes Links 2026 Struggles to World Baseball Classic Participation
By Drooid · · How we work
Season Overview
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ former Cy Young winner entered the 2026 campaign with high expectations but posted a career-worst 3.91 earned run average (ERA) across 31 starts. His win–loss record fell to 10-11, and his fastball velocity slipped from an average of 98.2 mph in his 2025 Cy Young season to 96.8 mph this year. After a strong 1.09 ERA over his first eight starts, Skenes’ ERA rose to 4.73 since mid-May, during which he recorded four wins and nine losses.
Rapid Rise and Prior Success
Selected by Pittsburgh in the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes quickly advanced to the majors. He earned National League Rookie of the Year honors in 2024 and captured the Cy Young Award in 2025, establishing a sub-2.00 ERA as a benchmark for his early career.
Performance Data
- ERA: 3.91 (career high)
- Fastball velocity: down to 96.8 mph from 98.2 mph in 2025
- Record: 10-11 overall; 4-9 since mid-May
- World Baseball Classic workload: three starts for Team USA, totaling 10 1/3 innings, plus two spring-training appearances with the Pirates before the regular season.
Skenes’ Explanation
He emphasized that other factors also contributed but highlighted the Classic as a key change affecting his velocity and overall performance. On September 21, 2026, a tweet from columnist Colin Beazley referenced Skenes’ remarks about the Classic’s impact.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There are a lot of other factors, so I don’t want to put everything on that,” — Paul Skenes