Pirates' Paul Skenes Gets First Team USA Test
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is getting his first chance to wear his nations' colors this year in his first tune-up for them.
Skenes will start for Team USA in their first exhibition match against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz. on March 3. First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m. (EST) and ESPN will broadcast the game.
This marks the first start for Skenes on Team USA, as they ready for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, where they'll try to win the gold medal for the first time since 2017.
Skenes is also set to make his first official start for Team USA when they face Team Mexico on March 9 in Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros. He will also pitch in one game in the knockout stage, but didn't reveal which game that would be.
Who Joins Skenes in the Lineup vs. the Giants?
Skenes has a great lineup to give him support, with many of the top hitters in the game in the field for Team USA.
Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. leads off, Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper hits second and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber hits fourth, while New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge hits third.
Witt has earned All-Star nods, All-MLB First Team honors, Gold Glove and Sliver Slugger Awards the past two seasons, plus was MLB Batting Champion in 2024.
Harper is a two-time National League MVP, 2015 and 2021, Schwarber led the NL in home runs this past season and in 2022, while Judge has won three of the past four American League MVPs.
Team USA also has Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman hitting fifth, Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh sixth in the lineup, Boston Red Sox rookie left fielder Roman Anthony hitting seventh, Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton hitting eighth and then Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang at ninth, rounding out the lineup.
Raleigh hit 60 home runs last season, setting the record for a catcher and switch hitter, also becoming the first of both to win the Home Run Derby.
Bregman and Buxton are both coming off of All-Star nods last season and Turang was a Gold Glove Award winner in 2024.
Skenes Amongst Great USA Pitching Staff at WBC
Skenes, the 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner, joins up with 2025 AL Cy Young Award winner in Detroit Tigers left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal, who starts against Team Great Britain on March 7.
Giants right-handed starter Logan Webb, who led the NL in strikeouts last season and is a two-time All-Star, makes the start in the Team USA opener vs. Team Brazil on March 6.
New York Mets rookie pitcher in right-hander Nolan McClean will start the final game of Pool Play for Team USA against Team Italy on March 10.
It also features All-Stars in right-handed pitchers in Mets' Clay Holmes, Yankees' David Bednar and San Diego Padres' Mason Miller, plus Cubs left-handed starting pitcher Matthew Boyd.
Three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who is retired, is coming back and will also pitch for Team USA.
Skenes will get the chance to learn from some of the best pitchers in baseball and come back as an even tougher pitcher with the Pirates this season.
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.