conv.

All stories
SportsActive today · day 6

Skenes blames World Baseball Classic for velocity drop, down season

The Pirates ace says his abbreviated spring training due to WBC participation disrupted his mechanics and contributed to his worst season since entering the majors.

newest coverage 20h agosummary written 2d ago33 pieces3 likes & upvotes NewswiresMastodonGoogle News

What to know

  • Skenes, the 2025 NL Cy Young winner, posted a career-worst 3.91 ERA in 2026 and saw his fastball velocity drop to 96.8 mph from 98.2 mph the prior year.
  • The pitcher attributes the decline to the World Baseball Classic disrupting his spring training preparation, preventing the gradual velocity ramp-up he normally builds during the offseason.
  • Skenes made two WBC starts for Team USA before the regular season, leaving only two spring training appearances for Pittsburgh and contributing to an Opening Day implosion (5 runs in ⅔ inning).
  • The Pirates missed the playoffs at 79-77; Skenes' down year, particularly a 5.18 ERA stretch from May-July, was a major factor in their failure to contend despite offseason additions.

“Usually, that time of year, you're kind of ramping up and it's a little bit slow. You can kind of get onto the slope and find your body. One live batting practice, you're topping at 97, and then the next you're 98, 99. And that wasn't the case this year.”

Paul Skenes, Pirates starting pitcher · Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Yahoo Sports) ↗ · Sep 20

Paul SkenesPaul Skenes Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, 2025 NL Cy Young winnerPittsburgh Pirates MLB team

Skenes blames World Baseball Classic for velocity drop, down season
Yahoo Sports

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 10 pieces in two hours at Sep 21, 10 AM; 33 pieces over 6 days (27 articles · 6 posts) Sep 18, 8 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 18, 10 PM — quietSep 19, 12 AM — quietSep 19, 2 AM — quietSep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — quietSep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — 10 pieces · 9 articles · 1 post — Google News 5, Newswires 4, Mastodon 1Sep 21, 12 PM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Newswires 3Sep 21, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 22, 8 AM — 3 pieces · 2 articles · 1 post — Newswires 2, Mastodon 1Sep 22, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Newswires 1, Mastodon 1Sep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Newswires 1, Mastodon 1Yesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — 6 pieces · 5 articles · 1 post — Newswires 5, Mastodon 1Yesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quiet 1–2
Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 9:54 AM ET
  1. 1

    Skenes' velocity decline reflects mechanical issues tied to disrupted preparation

    Skenes has averaged 96.8 mph with his fastball in 2026, down from 98.2 mph in 2025 and 98.9 mph in 2024. He did not throw a single 100 mph pitch for the first time in his three MLB seasons. CBS Sports notes that while other WBC participants like Nolan McLean, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto thrived in 2026, Skenes' mechanics appeared out of sync.

    “I didn't really have a number on it, but I would have liked to throw harder than I have this year. Unfortunately, it's probably going to take an offseason to get the velocity back.”
    — Paul Skenes
    1. 7 outlets Paul Skenes Blames WBC Play for Affecting Velocity Drop in 2026 MLB Season

      first by Bleacher Report, 2d ago · also ESPN, NY Post, Yahoo Sports, Fox News, MassLive, The Oregonian

      7 more headlines
  2. 2

    Skenes attributes season struggles to World Baseball Classic disruption

    In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Skenes acknowledged that the World Baseball Classic interrupted his usual spring training buildup and contributed to his velocity decline and inconsistent performance. He said while there are other factors, the WBC was 'kind of the root of it a little bit.'

    “There are a lot of other factors, so I don't want to put everything on that, but I feel like that was kind of the root of it a little bit.”
    — Paul Skenes

    1. 2 outlets first by Yahoo Sports, 2d ago · also Newsweek · read ↗

    2. 1 outlet Paul Skenes Reveals Whether World Baseball Classic Is To Blame For Down Year

      first by Yahoo Sports, 2d ago

  3. background

    Pirates eliminated from playoff contention at 79-77 — The Pittsburgh Pirates were officially eliminated from postseason contention, finishing 19 games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and 7 games back of the final NL Wild Card spot with six games remaining.

  4. background

    Skenes enters extended rough stretch with deteriorating velocity — From May 17 to July 31, Skenes compiled a 14-start stretch with a 5.18 ERA while Pittsburgh went 3-11 in those games. During this period, his fastball velocity continued to decline, averaging 95-96 mph instead of his usual 98-99 mph.

  5. background

    Skenes struggles on Opening Day with abbreviated spring preparation — On Opening Day against the New York Mets, Skenes was pulled after just two-thirds of an inning, allowing five runs on four hits. The poor outing marked the beginning of a down season that would see him post a 10-11 record.

  6. background

    Skenes participates in World Baseball Classic, cutting spring training short — Paul Skenes represented Team USA at the World Baseball Classic, making two starts for the Americans and allowing one earned run in 8⅓ innings. The tournament participation and strict pitch limits left him with only two spring training starts for the Pirates before the regular season began.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Pirates ace Paul Skenes opens up about his struggles

    first by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2d ago · also Yahoo Sports

    1 more headline
  2. 2 outlets Why Paul Skenes blames the World Baseball Classic for decreased velocity as Pirates ace wraps up down season

    first by CBS Sports, 2d ago · also Yahoo Sports

    1 more headline
  3. 2 outlets Skenes cites WBC for velocity dip: 'It definitely affected the year'

    first by ESPN MLB, 1d ago · also ESPN

and 1 smaller piece