Paul Skenes Joins Babe Ruth With Elite Statistic

Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since he entered the league.

Skenes has been so dominant early in his career that he holds the fourth-lowest career ERA before turning 24 since the stat became official in 1913, with a minimum of 300 innings pitched.

Skenes holds a 2.12 ERA, which is just shy of MLB legend Babe Ruth, who held a 2.09 ERA.

Skenes commented on the statistic, stating, "That's cool. There's a lot of baseball left."

Everyone on the list previously played over a century earlier, which speaks to how effective Skenes has been on the mound in the modern era. 

He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2024, as he finished with an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA, a 0.947 WHIP, and 170 strikeouts across 23 starts. 

Skenes had a phenomenal second season, finishing with a 10-10 record with a 1.97 ERA, a 0.948 WHIP, and 216 strikeouts. He won the NL Cy Young Award and finished sixth in the MVP race.

In 2026, Skenes has still pitched at a high level despite a couple of shaky starts. Through 12 starts, he has a 6-5 record with a 2.89 ERA, a 0.857 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts.

He is firmly in the race to win the Cy Young Award for a second-straight season, and will be pivotal in the Pirates' chances of making it to the playoffs.

Pittsburgh hasn't been in the postseason since 2015, but they have been competitive thus far in 2026. They hold a 29-28 record, which puts them in last place in the NL Central, as every team in the division has played well.

However, the Pirates are only six games back for the division lead and only two games back from a Wild Card spot.

With Skenes elite production on the mound and a talented rotation around him, along with some talented bats in Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn, and rookie Konnor Griffin, Pittsburgh has a legitimate chance to end their playoff drought in 2026.

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