Paul Skenes ended on a high note.
So did the Pirates, who might’ve lost this kind of game earlier in the season. Regardless, the Pirates guaranteed they’d finish at least .500 and clinched third place in the NL Central with a 2-1 victory over the Cardinals in front of 15,822 for the home finale Thursday at PNC Park.
Spencer Horwitz’s sacrifice fly scored Ronny Simon in the eighth, while Skenes delivered a quality start and struck out eight, reaching 200 punchouts for a second consecutive season.
“We all wanted to play in October,” Skenes said. “But I think our best baseball is ahead of us. There was a lot of unfortunate stuff that happened this year, stuff that was out of our control with guys getting hurt.
“This is my third year, and every year at the end we’re talking about, ‘What’s it going to look like for next year?’ I’m tired of it. We’re in a good position for next year. But it’s gonna be tough to think about that again for a whole offseason.”
To Skenes’ point, the Pirates (81-78) have amassed a bunch of young, controllable players who’ve shown promise in Konnor Griffin, Esmerlyn Valdez, Endy Rodriguez, Rafael Flores Jr., Bubba Chandler, Mason Montgomery, Braxton Ashcraft and Jared Jones.
They also have nine players who’ve been worth at least 2 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs. That’s their most since 2017 and the same number they averaged from 2013-15. They had just two such players last season.
At the center of it, of course, is Skenes, who finished the year 10-11 with a 3.82 ERA in 32 starts, walking 49 and striking out 200 in 174 1/3 innings.
It hasn’t been an easy year for Skenes, who has admitted he’s had to grind more than his first two seasons. At the same time, a full offseason and the information gleaned in 2026 should do nothing but help the 24-year-old.
“I don’t think it’s gonna hurt,” Skenes said. “I definitely learned a lot … but you don’t know until you’re in it again.”
Skenes’ start was heavy on strikeouts early, the right-hander fanning six through the first three innings. With just one strikeout over the next three, it looked like Skenes might finish the year stuck at 199.
However, Skenes started the seventh inning and struck out designated hitter Leo Bernal on a sinker to become just the second Pirates pitcher with back-to-back seasons of at least 200 strikeouts. Bob Veale had three straight from 1964-66.
“He threw the ball great,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said.
It wasn’t the season Skenes wanted. At the same time, he fought through plenty, including fatigue, and still found a way to produce results, including the 12th-most fWAR (4.1) of any pitcher and a FIP of 3.32 prior to Thursday that ranked 13th.
Skenes deployed his entire arsenal against St. Louis. His eight strikeouts required five different offerings, while he amassed 15 whiffs, no more than four with any single pitch.
Consistent with Skenes’ second-half success, he pitched ahead a lot, throwing 57 of his 90 pitches for strikes and getting to 0-1 against 17 of 22. Thursday represented the 13th quality start of the season for Skenes … but also just the fourth for him (in 12 tries) since the All-Star break.
“Really encouraging for him going into the offseason,” Kelly said.
It’s a positive that Skenes felt the best he has in weeks or months. It’s also proof — for anyone who might’ve doubted this — there’s absolutely an elite pitcher in there. One who will benefit from some rest this winter.
“It was definitely a grind,” Skenes said of his season. “I think it was a good year. I don’t think it was to the caliber of the last two years, but I’m not gonna sit around all offseason thinking about how bad this season was, because I just don’t think that’s true.
“I understand the standard that was set the last couple of years, but I think there was a lot of good and stuff to get better at. Probably some low-hanging fruit and some other stuff to address in the offseason. But the thing that I’m happiest about is the 32 starts.”
Game flow
Ronny Simon started the decisive rally by drawing a one-out walk. He moved to second when Cardinals reliever Ryne Stanek bounced a splitter, and catcher Ivan Herrera threw wildly to second base, the ball squirting into the outfield.
Spencer Horwitz drove in the run with a sacrifice fly.
Mason Montgomery easily shut the door for his 17th save, extending his scoreless streak to 25 consecutive appearances and 24 2/3 innings. Montgomery eclipsed 100 strikeouts for the first time in his career and now has 102 on the season — 94 in relief and eight as an opener.
If you count the 102 together — Montgomery doesn’t control when he pitches — that would be third-most in Pirates history for one of the team’s relievers.
Alec Burleson had a solo homer off Skenes. Brandon Lowe drove in Oneil Cruz for his 95th RBI.
Big picture
The Pirates are now 14-7 during a September that’s shown what this team is capable of at full strength, while third place represents their best divisional finish since 2016
The win helped the Pirates finish their home slate 44-37, marking the ninth winning record at home since PNC Park opened in 2001. Furthermore, it gave Pittsburgh its third straight series victory over St. Louis.
The Pirates have won three consecutive series against the Cardinals just four times since the NL Central was formed in 1994.
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.