PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes insists he has had stretches during his still-burgeoning career when he has had to grit his teeth and grind through it.
Maybe unfairly so to someone only a few months removed from his 24th birthday. Spending two seasons doing things few pitchers in the history of the game have done — as Skenes did while winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 and the NL Cy Young in 2025 with a dazzling arsenal that was frequently unhittable — has a way of raising expectations.
The towering and remarkably mature right-hander is well aware of the standard he has set while becoming one of the faces of the game. There is a weight that comes with it, one he is intent on shouldering even when it’s not easy. “Just got to keep going. “Nobody wants to go out there and walk anybody. Nobody is trying to. “Not anything from the outside. “He had probably the best starting stretch to a career ever. And now he’s not the greatest pitcher on the face of the planet for a few months, and people were worried and freaking out a bit. “People adapt, people adjust.
“I’ve been learning a lot and I’ll continue to learn a lot,” he said after his ERA ticked up to 3.95, more than double his career mark of 1.96 when the season began. “I think the walks, it’s frustrating,” he said. “Just objective numbers, watching the game, execution, all that stuff,” he said. “I think the world’s been spoiled on who Paul Skenes really is,” Lowe said. “There’s a reason why there’s not going to be a guy that pitches for 10 years and wins 10 Cy Youngs,” he said. “He’s at 3 point whatever instead of his normal one ,” Lowe said. “That’s still pretty good.”
