Pirates' Paul Skenes Completes Strong Start vs. Dominican Republic
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes took on his most difficult start yet of his major league career.
Skenes made his final start for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, battling the best lineup in Team Dominican Republic at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.
He struggled at times, but had a solid showing overall, throwing 4.1 innings and giving up just one run against an incredible slate of hitters.
Skenes got great experience for the Pirates, who will rely on him on Opening Day against the New York Mets at Citi Field on March 26.
First Inning
It was a great start for Skenes, with just nine pitches and three outs for a scoreless first inning.
He threw three different pitches to right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres), a sinker, a splitter and then a sweeper that he got a fly out on in left field.
Skenes then used a sinker and two changeups against second baseman Ketel Marte (Arizona Diamondbacks), getting him to pop out to second baseman Brice Turang (Milwaukee Brewers).
He then took on left fielder Juan Soto (New York Mets) and threw a ball with a four-seam fastball, but got him on a splitter. Skenes then needed more defense from Turang, as Soto hit a changeup to right field, but Turang made a great stop and threw it to first base for the final out.
Second Inning
Skenes got a groundout from first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays) to start the second inning, coming on a four-seam fastball inside.
He then posted his first strikeout of the game, with three straight fastballs, as third baseman Manny Machado (San Diego Padres) could only watch the third one come right over the plate.
Skenes then looked like he would get designated hitter Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays) out as well, with two strikes from two splitters.
He then left a sweeper hang far too high and Caminero took advantage, sending it 105.6 mph off the bat and 401 feet to left field to give Team Dominican Republic a 1-0 lead on the solo home run.
JUNIOR CAMINERO SOLO HOME RUN
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 16, 2026
Team Dominican Republic scores first! #WorldBaseballClassic pic.twitter.com/zQO1Lf1Vo3
That home run was Caminero's third and the Dominican Republic's 15th of the tournament, the most of any team in a WBC. It was also the first time Skenes gave up this spring.
Skenes then got out of the inning with a five-pitch at-bat to center fielder Julio Rodríguez (Tampa Bay Rays), who grounded out to Turang.
Third Inning
Skenes began the bottom of the third inning by striking out catcher Austin Wells (New York Yankees). He used a four-seam fastball, a sweeper and then got Wells to swing and miss on a splitter.
He went up two strikes on shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (Arizona Diamondbacks), but then threw two balls and hit him with a curveball, putting him on first base.
Skenes then threw three straight balls to Tatis, but got a favorable strike call on a splitter outside and got a ground ball, which saw Team USA third baseman Gunnar Henderson (Baltimore Orioles) throw Perdomo out at second base.
He gave up a single to Marte in the next at-bat, but Team USA right fielder Aaron Judge (New York Yankees) tracked it down and threw Tatis out at third base, ending the inning and keeping the deficit at just 1-0.
Skenes also got a similar play from Judge in his start vs. Team Mexico and couldn't help but show some emotion after that incredible throw.
Aaron Judge delivered a strike.
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 16, 2026
Paul Skenes loved it! #WorldBaseballClassic https://t.co/PTThTvYGmd pic.twitter.com/KBxPkTcbl1
Fourth Inning
Skenes started the fourth inning with a lineout from Soto, coming after three pitches and a splitter down in the zone.
He then allowed a double to Guerrero, who lined a splitter 116.1 mph to left field, putting him in scoring position, plus a single to Machado, that Team USA shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. held onto, preventing Guerrero from moving.
Skenes got Caminero to hit a grounder, which Witt threw to Turang at second base for the force out, but Turang couldn't turn it to first base for the double play, putting runners on the corners with two outs.
He hit his second batter of the game, throwing a sinker that went up and in on Rodríguez's hands, loading the bases.
Skenes escaped the inning without giving up a run, as he got Wells to fly out on the fifth pitch of the at-bat.
Fifth Inning
Skenes started the fifth inning by getting Perdomo to line out to Judge on a four-seam fastball up in the zone.
He then got a ground ball of a curveball from Tatis, but Henderson couldn't get the speedy baserunner out at first base.
Skenes would then allow a single from Marte, who hit a splitter below the zone and put two runners on with just one out.
Right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Rogers came in for Skenes, who was near his pitch limit, and got Soto to ground out into a double play, ending the inning and keeping Team USA up 2-1 after five innings.
Overlook at Skenes Start
Skenes relied mostly on his four-seam fastball, but his splitter came into play too, with 66% of his pitches one of those two. He also threw eight sinkers, making it a start where he went with his speed.
He also relied on his offspeed work a little less, with his sweeper, changeup and curveball just 16 pitches of his 71, 22% total.
Pitch | Total | Average Velocity |
|---|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | 29/71 (41%) | 97.6 mph |
Splitter | 18/71 (25%) | 94.3 mph |
Sinker | 8/71 (11%) | 97.8 mph |
Sweeper | 7/71 (10%) | 84.9 mph |
Changeup | 6/71 (8%) | 88.6 mph |
Curveball | 3/71 (4%) | 83.6 mph |
Skenes finished with just two strikeouts and gave up six walks with two hit batters, a contrast to his previous start vs. Team Mexico, where he posted a Team USA-record seven strikeouts and allowed just one hit and one walk over four innings.
He finishes his WBC with a 1.08 ERA over 8.1 innings pitched, with a 0.96 WHIP and a .226 BAA and nine strikeouts.
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.