NEW YORK – Asked to describe Paul Skenes’ season in 2025, Pirates manager Don Kelly said his ace has been dominant at times, and there are other days when it appears he tries to do “a little too much” around the strike zone.
While Skenes, 22, hasn’t been as close to perfection as he was last year when he was the National League Rookie of the Year, Kelly reminded the local media that Skenes is not a veteran. Entering Monday’s game against the Mets, Skenes was 3-4 with a 2.77 ERA.
“The way he can command everything, the way he can move from pitch to pitch and figure out what’s working and what’s not … he still finds ways to give you five, six, seven innings of two-, three-run ball. That’s a special pitcher,” Kelly said.
On Monday night at Citi Field, Skenes wasn’t perfect, but he ended up with a quality start and a no-decision in the Pirates’ 4-3 loss to the Mets.
Skenes left the game after the sixth inning with a 2-1 lead. He now has a 1.37 ERA in his career away from PNC Park. However, the bullpen couldn’t get the job done, allowing three runs – two earned – over the final three innings. The fatal blow came in the bottom of the ninth when reliever David Bednar allowed a walk-off sacrifice fly to Pete Alonso, scoring Francisco Lindor.
“Obviously, disappointed to come up on the short end there, but just the battle that our guys put up offensively – scratching, clawing and putting some runs on the board,” Kelly said. “We played some small ball there. We got some runs in, but we came up a little short.”
While the Pirates’ bullpen had problems preventing runs from scoring, the Mets were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position against Skenes. Whenever he needs to lock it in and make a big pitch, he is either getting the double play or the strikeout.
Take the bottom of the first inning: Lindor and Juan Soto reached base on a single and walk, respectively. But Skenes was able to get out of the inning by inducing Alonso to hit into a double play and striking out Brandon Nimmo to end the threat.
“It comes down to execution,” Skenes said. “Today, I executed when I needed to. Not every day is like that.”
Overall, Skenes felt he could have been better. The six hits he allowed in the game tied a career high.
“If I was more efficient, maybe we [pitch] seven innings, maybe we go eight,” Skenes said.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa is impressed by how Skenes is able to use all of his pitches – four-seam fastball, splitter, sweeper, slider, sinker, changeup and curveball – to get out of trouble.
“It shows his pitchability,” said Kiner-Falefa, who homered in his first game back from the injured list. “If he was to ever lose his velocity, I think he would be just fine. For him to have that arsenal that he has with the pitchability that he has is extremely rare.”
Kiner-Falefa doesn’t know how long he will play with Skenes, but he said he is going to cherish their time together. Skenes is in only his second year in the big leagues, and Kiner-Falefa is already calling him one of the best pitchers he has ever played with. Kiner-Falefa has played with aces like Gerrit Cole (with the Yankees) and Cole Hamels (with the Rangers).
“Every time he is out there, I cherish the opportunity to watch him because he is special,” Kiner-Falefa said. “For him to be this consistent and this good at a young age, I can’t wait to see how he is going to blossom and how much better he is going to be.
“The cool thing is the work ethic, the way he goes about his business. You wouldn’t believe his age. He is a bull. … We are really lucky to have him.”