Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting pitcher Paul Skenes has come out and revealed that he believes his involvement in the World Baseball Classic is one reason to blame for his inconsistency and alarming drop in velocity in 2026.
Skenes spoke to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on Monday and discussed his mechanics throughout the year, and the challenges that came with playing in the WBC before of the regular season.
“There are a lot of other factors, so I don’t want to put everything on [the WBC],” Skenes said. “But I feel like that was kind of the root of it a little bit.”
Of course the most glaring disparity in Skenes’ game in 2026 was his drop in velocity. His fastball velocity averaged 96.8 mph in 2026, a big tick down from 98.1 mph in 2025 and 98.8 mph in 2024. As the season has gone on it has gotten worse as in his most recent start against the Kansas City Royals saw his fastball average 96.1 mph, and just 95.7 mph in his last start against Miami, which was the lowest in his career.
Although he does not regret his participation in the WBC for Team USA, Skenes did acknowledge that it did completely change his process in the offseason and how he did not have ample time to prepare his body for live innings so early in the year.
“Usually, that time of year, you’re kind of ramping up and it’s a little bit slow,” Skenes said. “You can kind of get onto the slope and find your body. One live [batting practice], you’re topping at 97, and then the next you’re 98, 99. And that wasn’t the case this year. … Looking back, I don’t think that really helped.”
Skenes went on to say that even in the early months of April and May where he looked like his usual dominant self, he wasn’t satisfied with his mechanics and knew that something was off. The former National League Cy Young Award winner had a 1.09 ERA through eight starts in April and May.
“Even then, I didn’t feel like I had my delivery,” Skenes said. “It’s just weird. It’s easier to kind of put your finger on it after the fact than it is in the moment. It definitely affected the year. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the only one. … Yeah, I don’t know. [The WBC] definitely didn’t make things easier.”
Skenes has a 10-11 record this season with the Pirates and with a 3.91 ERA was often all over the place with pitch delivery, location, mechanics and the aforementioned velocity. He’s hopeful to get back to his dominant self next season with a full and healthy offseason ahead of him, with regaining his mechanics being a top priority for the Pirates’ ace.
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