BRADENTON, Fla. -- Now is the time of year for players to make final adjustments, lock in a routine and mentally prepare for the 162-game push that begins next week(!).
Unless you’re Paul Skenes. That guy’s been ready since the last out on Sept. 28.
“There’s no doubt: He helps everybody get better,” manager Don Kelly said recently. “It’s just the way he goes about it every single day, the way he approaches not just each time he touches the mound but each time he throws, he’s like that. And the detail with how he goes about it. He challenges everybody to be better, me included.”
After one start for the Pirates and two wins for Team USA during the World Baseball Classic, Skenes’ final preseason challenge came Saturday against the Blue Jays at LECOM Park. The Bucs’ Opening Day starter didn’t disappoint during Pittsburgh’s eventual 8-3 win.
Toronto didn’t miss the chance to face a defending NL Cy Young Award winner, sending a roster stacked with veteran talent that would typically stay behind in camp when its team has long travel days in spring. Eight of nine Blue Jays in the starting lineup against Skenes also started World Series Game 7 against the Dodgers, so if Skenes is serious about his face-the-best-to-be-the-best mentality (spoiler alert: he very much is), this was a solid final tuneup.
Was it enough for the Pirates' Opening Day starter before he kicks off the regular season against the Mets in Flushing on Thursday?
"Yeah, it's time for the season," Skenes said. "I'm excited for it."
With limited time on the hill, as most starters will taper off in their last spring start rather than continue to add to their pitch count, Skenes opened on the attack. The righty’s 10th pitch of the game should have wrapped up a tidy first inning, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 108.3 mph liner bounced off Oneil Cruz’s glove in center field, allowing Guerrero to pull safely into second base.
After walking cleanup batter Addison Barger, Skenes regained composure quickly, coaxing Alejandro Kirk to fly out to Cruz and end the frame.
Back on the bump for round two, Skenes made quick work of Toronto, striking out the side on just 11 pitches. Two of those were swinging, the latter of which had Ernie Clement tossing his bat in disgust after Skenes caught him on an 83.7 mph curve that ducked low and away.
"[My goals were] feel good, for one, and then just kind of get used to ABS again and throw some pitches that I didn't get to throw a ton of in the WBC," said Skenes, who leaned heavily on his fastball and mixed in 19 offspeed offerings. "We threw a lot of curveballs, a lot more sliders than I threw out [at the Classic]. And just feel good about every pitch."
Skenes snapped up a comebacker for the first out in the third, then walked a pair before closing his day with a pair of swinging strikeouts followed by a 1-2-3 fourth inning. He allowed just the Guerrero hit, drew six swing and misses and most importantly, emerged from Spring Training fully healthy and with a head full of steam pointed toward the regular season.
This spring was a bit atypical for Skenes in terms of where he put in his work, but the 23-year-old is a stickler for routine, so there was never a concern that his participation in the World Baseball Classic would do anything but add to his competitive edge. Skenes dominated for Team USA, working to a 1.80 ERA and striking out eight against just one walk in his 8 1/3 innings.
While Skenes fell short of his ultimate goal to bring home a gold medal when the Americans lost to Venezuela in the championship game, the Bucs ace added another experience to his already impressive resume, and he's looking forward to taking that into 2026. He realized something important in his travels -- "Big atmospheres are cool, but you can't change anything that you're doing," -- and hopes to be able to put that into practice one day soon for Pittsburgh.
“I say it all the time, he’s one of the best pitchers in the world right now, and he showed the world why he’s the best,” said Pirates closer Dennis Santana, whose Team Dominican Republic lost to Skenes and Team USA in the semifinal. “... It was good to see him do his thing.”