Paul Skenes' Verdict About Facing Mets on Opening Day Speaks Volumes

The entire baseball world is in a collective state of excitement right now, as March 25 marked MLB's Opening Day. However, New York Mets fans have had to wait until March 26 to take the field for the first time.

And the Mets face perhaps the toughest task in all of baseball right now, in Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes. The 23-year-old has quickly become the most dominant right-handed starting pitcher in the world, tallying a stellar 1.96 ERA in 320.2 innings pitched to begin his big league career.

Skenes won the 2025 NL Cy Young Award after amassing a 1.97 ERA with the Pirates last season, despite having just a 10-10 record. But Skenes' win-loss record had nothing to do with his own performances, as his team struggled to put runs on the board for him.

Skenes was also Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes' teammate for Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He made two starts and produced a 1.08 ERA across 8.1 innings pitched, which included 9 strikeouts. One of these starts game against Juan Soto's Dominican Republic squad in the Semifinal, where Skenes gave up 1 run on 6 hits through 4.1 innings.

United States pitcher Paul Skenes | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Paul Skenes Gets Honest About Facing Mets on MLB Opening Day

Skenes isn't known for being much of a talker. And this was made clear once again when he was asked about facing the Mets on Opening Day when he spoke to the media on March 25.

"They're a good team. It'll be exciting to face them," Skenes said when asked about the talent in New York's lineup, per an X post from SNY.

Paul Skenes is asked what sort of challenge the Mets' lineup poses for him on Opening Day:

"They're a good team. It'll be exciting to face them." pic.twitter.com/oE78tpkaT1
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 25, 2026

The good news is that it will only be easier tests after the Mets have to deal with Skenes. Not to mention that he'll likely be on some sort of pitch count, as the Pirates will want to be cautious about overthrowing him early in the season.

Skenes is obviously right about the Mets' lineup being formidable. If this team wants to reach its lofty goals this season, it will have to win games against some of the world's best pitchers. And there's no better time to start doing so than on Opening Day.

The bottom line is that Mets fans will be in for a show when Skenes takes the mound in the bottom of the first inning this evening.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.