Paul Skenes blames WBC for velocity dip in down Pirates season — SkimNews
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- Paul Skenes blamed the World Baseball Classic for his decreased velocity this season, telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the tournament interrupted his usual slow spring ramp-up and kept him from finding his body before Opening Day
- Skenes posted a 3.91 ERA across 168 innings in a clear step back from his Cy Young-winning 2025; from May 17 to July 31 he compiled a 5.18 ERA over 14 starts while Pittsburgh went 3-11
- Skenes' four-seam fastball averaged 96.8 mph this season, down from 98.2 mph in 2025 and 98.9 mph in 2024, and he failed to register a single 100 mph pitch for the first time in his three MLB seasons
- Skenes made two starts for Team USA in the WBC — governed by strict pitch limits and rest requirements — allowing one run in 8⅓ innings before failing to escape the first inning on Opening Day
- Several WBC participants struggled this season, including USA teammate Logan Webb, though Nolan McLean, Eduardo Rodriguez, Cristopher Sánchez, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto all thrived after playing in the tournament
- Despite the dip, Skenes ranks 14th among all MLB pitchers in WAR and is in line for a record arbitration payday this offseason, with free agency coming after 2029
Why it matters: Skenes' WBC-fueled velocity drop offers a high-profile data point in the ongoing debate over whether March's tournament costs aces regular-season production, and at 79-77 Pittsburgh's elimination underscores how dependent their 2026 contention window was on their ace performing to his 2025 standard — a payday Pittsburgh must now fund anyway.
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