From WBC heroics to Opening Day, ace Paul Skenes shrugs off the hype, focusing solely on execution and setting the tone for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Paul Skenes will step onto the LECOM Park mound Saturday, worlds away from the pressure of his Cy Young campaign.
The Pittsburgh Pirates ace will make his final spring start as his team hosts Toronto in a Grapefruit League game in Bradenton, Fla., before pitching next Thursday when the Pirates open the season against the Mets in New York.
Of course, opening day in New York is a pretty big deal—especially when compared to the much lower stakes of a spring training game, where both teams are mainly eager to leave Florida and finally play for something that matters.
However, even opening day won’t feel as important to Skenes as his previous start. That came last Sunday in the World Baseball Classic as Skenes pitched the United States to a 2-1 victory over the Dominican Republic in the semifinals in Miami.
Skenes held the star-studded Dominican lineup to one run in 4 2/3 innings, a challenge arguably tougher than facing any major-league lineup.
"It certainly helps," Skenes said Friday after returning to Pittsburgh's spring camp in Bradenton. "It shows me where I’m at and how my stuff’s playing. Definitely doesn’t hurt."
Now, Skenes gets one more tune-up before opening day, pitching against the Blue Jays.
“Just want execution,” Skenes said. “I’ll have a plan. Just want to execute it.”
Since his major-league debut in May 2024, Skenes has executed at a high level, winning the NL Rookie of the Year that season.
Skenes’ career record is just 21-13 because of poor run support, but his ERA is a dazzling 1.96 in 55 starts. Skenes has also been the starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game in each of his two seasons.
So, it might have been one of the least surprising moments in franchise history when Pirates manager Don Kelly named Skenes as the opening-day starter on Thursday. Pittsburgh waited to make the announcement only to ensure Skenes made it through the WBC healthy.
"There’s nobody who pushes Paul harder than Paul pushes Paul," Kelly said. "He’s always working to get better, to be the best. Really pumped to have him on the bump game one."
Skenes also started opening day last season. The honor for a second year doesn’t faze the 23-year-old.
“Leading the team and setting the tone on opening day? Personally, no,” Skenes said. “An opening day start means nothing if you lose. Just want to set the tone.”
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