Pirates' Paul Skenes Dominates Team Mexico in First WBC Start
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes made one of his most important appearances on the mound in his career, but handled the pressure and then some.
Skenes made his first start for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, taking on Team Mexico in Pool Play at Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros. It served as a massive rivalry game and also two of the best nations in the sport.
He had an excellent outing for his nation, throwing four scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and one walk, while making seven strikeouts over 60 pitches, giving Pirates fans and USA fans an idea of just how dominant he'll be in 2026.
Skenes will get another chance to represent his country in the knockout stages and with Team USA heading towards their third win in three games, that looks like a high probability of him doing so.
First Inning
Skenes faced off against Team Mexico right fielder Jaren Durran (Boston Red Sox) to begin his start
He came right at Duran, throwing seven pitches, including a splitter, a four-seam fastball that reached as high as 99.7 mph and three changeups, the third which Duran struck out on with a foul tip into Team USA catcher Cal Raleigh's (Seattle Mariners) mitt.
Skenes did much of the same with Team Mexico left fielder Randy Arozarena (Mariners), throwing four straight fastballs at him and getting him to ground out.
He took on first baseman Jonathan Aranda (Tampa Bay Rays) next and also threw four fastballs, but used three sinkers as well, the third of which he got Aranda to pop out in foul territory.
Second Inning
Skenes had a great start to the second inning, with back-to-back strikeouts and then got a fly out for another 1-2-3 inning.
He took down catcher Alejandro Kirk (Toronto Blue Jays) on six pitches, making him look ridiculous on a fastball way above the zone.
Skenes then faced former Pirates teammate in designated hitter Rowdy Tellez and came at him with three fastballs and a splitter, with the last fastball again up in the zone that Tellez swung and missed at.
He only threw two pitches vs. third baseman Nacho Alvarez Jr. (Atlanta Braves), a sinker and then a fastball up that Alvarez hit right to Team USA center fielder Byron Buxton (Minnesota Twins).
Third Inning
Skenes had another strong start to an inning, with back-to-back strikeouts in the third inning for Team USA.
He battled Pirates teammate in second baseman Nick Gonzales to start the inning, with an eight-pitch at-bat, throwing a sinker, a slider, a splitter, a changeup and a sweeper.
Skenes took down Gonzales with a sinker down below the zone, which he swung and missed on.
He then struck out center fielder Alek Thomas (Arizona Diamondbacks), with two splitters and then two changeups down in the zone, with another swing-and-miss.
Skenes looked like he'd get another 1-2-3 inning, with shortstop Joey Ortiz (Milwaukee Brewers) hitting a grounder, but Team USA second baseman Brice Turang (Brewers) committed an error, with a poor throw that first baseman Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies) couldn't come up with.
He then gave up a single to Duran, but Team USA right fielder Aaron Judge (New York Yankees) made an incredible throw and got Ortiz out at third base to get out of the inning unscathed.
Fourth Inning
Unlike many of his Pirates starts in 2025, Skenes had big run support from his Team USA teammates in this one, with Judge hitting a two-run home run and left fielder Roman Anthony (Boston Red Sox) hitting a three-run home run as well, putting them up 5-0.
Skenes utilized five different pitches in his six pitches vs. Arozarena to start off the fourth inning, with a splitter, curveball, sinker, fastball and changeup.
He got a little lucky with the final pitch, a sinker outside that home plate umpire Adrian Johnson called a third strike on a full count for the first out.
Skenes then issued his first walk of the game, with two fastballs, a curveball and a sinker all called balls, even with the sinker in the zone, putting Aranda on first base.
Kirk then took a first pitch splitter off of Skenes and laced it to left field, before Gold Glove Award-winning shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals) made an incredible diving play and threw him out at first base, with Aranda moving to second base.
Skenes then dealt with Tellez, with two splitters, a changeup and a fastball up high that he got his former Pirates teammate to swing and miss on for his seventh strikeout of the game.
Breakdown of Skenes' Team USA Start vs. Team Mexico
This marked the third start for Skenes this spring and his longest, throwing 2.1 innings against the Atlanta Braves in the Grapefruit League on Feb. 25 and also three innings for Team USA in their exhibition vs. the San Francisco Giants on March 3.
Pitch | Total (60 Pitches) | Strikes/Balls (Total) | Speed Range |
|---|---|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | 20 | 11/9 (20) | 96.1-99.7 mph |
Sinker | 14 | 11/3 (14) | 96.1-97.6 mph |
Splitter | 11 | 5/6 (11) | 92.2-95.7 mph |
Changeup | 9 | 7/2 (4) | 87.8-90.4 mph |
Sweeper | 3 | 3 balls (3) | 84.2 mph-85 mph |
Curveball | 2 | 2 balls (2) | 81.4-83.2 mph |
Slider | 1 | 1 strike | 84.4 mph |
Skenes relied mostly on his fastball for a third of his 60 pitches, but also utilized his sinker and splitter heavily as well, going with velocity rather than breaking pitches.
He only threw 14 true offspeed pitches, nine of which were his changeup, then just three of his sweeper, two curveballs and a slider.
Skenes made the smart decision to go with his high-velocity pitches, as Team Mexico struggled to keep up and he ended up with seven strikeouts in his outing.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.