Skenes looking to make 2 starts for US at Classic

You can expect to see Paul Skenes pitch on multiple occasions for Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

In an interview for Fox Sports with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Skenes said he expects to make two starts in the WBC, assuming that the U.S. advances beyond pool play.

“We win, we go as far as we should, I’ll pitch again in the tournament,” Skenes said.

Skenes is scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut on Wednesday against the Braves. Skenes also told Rosenthal that he is scheduled to pitch in one of Team USA’s exhibitions next week in Arizona, when the U.S. will face the Giants on Tuesday and Rockies on Wednesday.

This is a different route than the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal, who told reporters on Monday that he’s only planning to make one start in the WBC. Given their different situations -- Skubal is entering his final year before free agency and is the key cog for a Tigers team aiming for a deeper playoff run -- perhaps it’s not surprising that the 23-year-old Skenes will be available for multiple outings.

Skenes is coming off a dominant 2025 season, when he unanimously won the NL Cy Young Award thanks to a 1.97 ERA, 216 strikeouts and 7.7 WAR (per Baseball Reference) in 187 2/3 innings. The Pirates’ young ace owns a career 1.96 ERA through his first 55 starts and has been an NL All-Star in each of his first two seasons.