Paul Skenes closed his 2026 season with the kind of outing that gave the Pirates something steady to take into the winter: 6 1/3 innings, one run allowed, eight strikeouts and the 200th punchout of his year in Pittsburgh’s home finale against the Cardinals at PNC Park.
The final line was a different one from the finish he authored a year earlier. On Sept. 24, 2025, Skenes completed a National League Cy Young season by throwing four scoreless innings and keeping his ERA below 2.00. One year later, he entered his last start working to stay under 4.00 after a season marked by uneven results and diminished velocity.
He got there. Skenes finished with a 3.82 ERA and 200 strikeouts, becoming the first Pirates starter to post 200 or more strikeouts in consecutive seasons since Bob Veale did it from 1964 through 1966.
A sharp finish after an early mistake
St. Louis struck first when Alec Burleson opened the scoring with a solo home run in the top of the first. Pittsburgh answered immediately. Brandon Lowe’s RBI single in the bottom half tied the game, and the afternoon settled into a 1-1 deadlock.
Skenes did not allow the Cardinals much after Burleson’s swing. He surrendered three hits, issued two walks and repeatedly kept contact manageable. He also handled a key defensive moment himself, starting a 1-6-3 double play to end the fifth inning.
With 81 pitches behind him, Skenes worked a clean sixth. He returned for the seventh at 90 pitches, needing one strikeout to reach 200 for the season. Leo Bernal became that final milestone victim before Skenes was removed for Yohan Ramirez with the score still tied.
Lessons from a rougher year
The right-hander has not dodged the contrast between this season and his first two in the majors. His ERA nearly doubled from the previous year, while his velocity slipped during a bumpy campaign.
After his Sept. 18 start, Skenes said the difficult stretches had supplied answers he did not yet have entering the season.
“I learned a lot,” Skenes said. “We can get into it more after my next start, but it has been everything — the offseason, Spring Training and the early part of the year. I would not say everything went perfectly in my first two years. You create your own luck, however you want to put it. In many ways, the pendulum swung the other direction this year.”
He added that the lessons were largely about matters within his control and said he expects to arrive at Spring Training next year with a clearer plan after having time to reflect.
For Skenes, the 2026 ledger will not look like the Cy Young campaign that came before it. But 200 strikeouts, a sub-4.00 ERA and a composed final start offer a meaningful foundation as he heads toward his fourth major league season.
