Paul Skenes Says The World Baseball Classic Disrupted His 2026 season.

 

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes spent the weekend looking back on a year that did not match the standard he set in 2024 and 2025. The reigning National League Cy Young winner told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that pitching for Team USA in March interrupted his normal spring ramp-up and contributed to the velocity drop and inconsistency that defined his third major-league season.

“There are a lot of other factors, so I don’t want to put everything on that,” Skenes said. “But I feel like that was kind of the root of it a little bit.” He added: “It definitely affected the year. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the only one.”

The numbers behind the step back 

Skenes is 10-11 with a 3.91 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 192 strikeouts in 168 innings across 31 starts. Those figures would be respectable for most pitchers. They represent a clear drop from his first two seasons: a 1.97 ERA and a 98.2 mph average four-seam fastball in 2025, and 98.8 mph as a rookie in 2024. This year, the heater has sat at 96.8 mph, with fewer 98-99 mph readings and no 100 mph pitches.

He opened the season poorly (he lasted two-thirds of an inning on Opening Day), then put together a strong stretch before a 14-start slump from mid-May through late July in which he posted a 5.18 ERA. Pittsburgh went 3-11 in those games. The Pirates finished the year out of the playoff picture.

Skenes has said the velocity dip was partly intentional as he tried to handle a larger workload. He later acknowledged he never fully recovered the extra ticks. Mechanics also drifted. “Unfortunately, it’s probably going to take an offseason to get it back,” he said.

What happened at the WBC

Skenes made two starts for the United States in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He allowed one earned run in 8⅓ innings; the only damage was a home run by Junior Caminero. Team USA reached the final and lost to Venezuela. The tournament’s pitch limits and compressed schedule meant he skipped the gradual live-batting-practice progression he normally uses in spring training, 97 mph one day, 98 or 99 the next. That sequence never happened.

He does not regret representing his country. He also does not claim the WBC explains everything. Other pitchers who played in the tournament had mixed results; some struggled, others did not.

Context and fan reaction

Skenes is 24. He still ranked among National League leaders in strikeouts and produced a FIP better than his ERA, suggesting some bad luck and defensive issues. Fan reaction to the comments was mixed. Some viewed the explanation as reasonable given the calendar. Others called it an excuse and pointed out that many pitchers participate in the WBC without similar drop-offs.

The Pirates have one more start scheduled for Skenes before the regular season ends. After that, the focus turns to an offseason aimed at restoring the mechanics and velocity that made him one of baseball’s most dominant young arms. Whether the World Baseball Classic was the main cause or one factor among several, Skenes has identified it as the moment the year started to get away from him.