Pirates' Paul Skenes Announces Strikeout Donation Goal for 2026
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PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes is readying for his season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and while he'll look to dominate on the mound again, he'll also try to achieve things off of it as well.
Skenes again pledged his commitment to donating $100 for every strikeout of his this season to the Gary Sinise Foundation, honoring the veterans, first responders and defenders of the United States and their families.
He did increase his campaign goal to $150,000 in 2026 and also announced that there is a meet and greet involved for a fan who makes the largest from now until the Pirates home opener vs. the Baltimore Orioles on April 3.
That meet and greet will see Skenes meet the person who made that donation at batting practice and then tickets to enjoy a home or away Pirates game this season. It is not explicitly made for the home opener.
Significance of Gary Sinise Foundation for Skenes
Skenes attended Air Force Academy in college, where he expected to serve his country and do his duty as a cadet, but eventually chose baseball as he continued quickly improving and starring at the collegiate level with LSU and then having the Pirates take him first overall in 2023.
He reprsented his country with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic in March, helping them reach the final game.
Skenes threw four scoreless innings with a Team USA-record seven strikeouts in the 5-3 win over Team Mexico on March 9. He then threw 4.1 innings against an incredible Team Dominican Republic lineup in the semifinals on March 15, allowing just one run in the 2-1 victory.
He broke the $100,000 donation goal he set with the Gary Sinise Foundation last year and raised it to $150,000 later on that season.
Skenes finished with 216 strikeouts for the Pirates in 2025, marking the most for a pitcher in franchise history in the live-ball era (Since 1920). Those 216 strikeouts resulted in $21,600 Skenes donated to the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Gary Sinise is a famous actor, who has dedicated much of his life to honoring the U.S. Military and their families, especially wounded veterans through his foundation.
Skenes has also donated to other causes during his time with the Pirates, including when he donated $1,000 to local volunteer fire fighters in western Pennsylvania through 93.7 The Fan's, 'The Fan 5 Alarm Marathon', which he also signed three baseballs that the radio station auctioned off.
He finished his 2025 season as the National League Cy Young Award winner and will look to increase his strikeout total to help raise more money for the foundation in 2026.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.