Paul Skenes leading Pirates ahead of 2026 regular season

NEW YORK — It’s 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday morning at Citi Field. It’s workout time. Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes comes out of the dugout and is all business. He is stoic, but his walk exudes confidence as if to say he is ready to start the season right now. But his season actually starts Thursday, when Pittsburgh plays its first game against the Mets.

It’s fitting that he is pitching Game No. 1 of the 2026 season. Simply put: Skenes is the best pitcher in baseball and has the numbers to back it up. Last year, opposing hitters had a slash line of .199/.251/.307. Since he has made it to the big leagues, Skenes, 23, has yet to post an ERA over 2.00. No wonder he is the reigning Cy Young Award winner in the National League.

“The easy thing is to go to the two seasons he has had and look at the ERAs and what he does on the field,” said Pirates manager Don Kelly. “The one thing we get to see is the work ethic in between starts and the attention to detail — everything that leads to every fifth day on the field. I think that is the thing that impressed me the most. He has the drive for himself and the team to win.”

Believe it or not, Skenes feels there is still room for improvement on the mound.

“I can do better this year,” Skenes said. “There are ways to get better. I just got to go out there and execute. I have to execute pitches more consistently.”

While he is honored to be named the Opening Day starter for the second year in a row, Skenes is going to pitch as if he is in the middle of the season.

“[Opening Day] means something. Just have to go out there, [put us] in a position to win to start the season right,” Skenes said.

“It’s kind of tough to put it into words,” Skenes said. “The vibe, identity and stuff like that is something that I think happens over the course of spring and over the course of summer, too. … Whatever happens these next few months, it’s going to bring us together. We are going to have a lot of people that are going to answer challenges. It’s certainly different now and I’m really excited to see what it’s going to be in two months.

“… We want to win the division. We want to make the playoffs. That’s it. How do we do that? Who knows. I don’t want to put a number of games out there because that is just putting a ceiling on us. We have to go out there and play well every day.”

Skenes is more than just the best pitcher in baseball. He is a great teammate and the first to offer advice and information to help his teammates win ballgames. Skenes is also a good person to hang out with away from the ballpark.

“He is just a normal human being. Talks ball, life. He is such a good person,” Pirates outfielder Jake Mangum said.