The Pittsburgh Pirates ace right-handed pitcher, Paul Skenes, announced today that he will pitch for Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, joining Aaron Judge, who will be the team captain. Team USA will once again be managed by Mark DeRosa. Team USA lost to Team Japan in the Championship game of the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The World Baseball Classic will take place from March 5, 2026, until March 17, 2026. Skenes pitched at the United States Air Force Academy his first two collegiate seasons, making 33 appearances with 15 of those coming as starts, going 11-4 with a 2.72 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 126 strikeouts in 112.1 innings.
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Paul Skenes
The Pirates selected Skenes first overall in the 2023 MLB Draft out of LSU. In his lone season at LSU, he made 19 starts. Skenes went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA, a 0.75 WHIP, and 209 strikeouts in 122.2 innings. LSU won the National Championship that season. After being drafted, he made five starts in the Pirates’ minor leagues. He made five starts, posting a 5.40 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and ten strikeouts in 6.2 innings.
Last season, he made seven starts at Triple-A. Skenes posted a 0.99 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts in 27.1 innings. He then got the call to the big leagues. Skenes made 23 starts, he went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings. He won the Rookie of the Year, started the All-Star game, and finished third in Cy Young voting. This season in nine starts, he is 3-4. Skenes has a 2.63 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts in 54.2 innings.
