If Paul Skenes is going to win back-to-back Cy Young awards, he'll need to overcome a horrific start to the 2026 season.
Skenes had an incredible 2025 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, owning a 1.97 ERA with a 10-10 record and 216 strikeouts. It was yet another reminder to the baseball world that he's got the talent to be an all-time great.
There was plenty of hype surrounding Skenes' 2026 debut this Thursday against Juan Soto and the New York Mets. Unfortunately for baseball fans, he didn't even make it through the first inning.
Skenes gave up five runs on 37 pitches before getting pulled for Yohan Ramirez. He could've potentially worked himself out of a bases loaded jam, but Oneil Cruz misjudged a ball so poorly that all three runners safely reached home.
Cruz's nightmare inning wasn't done yet. He misjudged the very next fly ball that was hit in his direction, leading to another run scored for the Mets.
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"Wow what a nightmare start for Skenes in Citi Field on Opening Day, will make him getting sub-2 ERA all the more impressive if he does get there," one person commented.
"That was the Worst Start I have ever seen personally from Paul Skenes, OUCH that was a Nightmare didn’t help that Cruz kept screwing him in CenterField with losing those FlyBalls to The Sun," another person wrote.
"Paul Skenes is done," ESPN's Jeff Passan said. "He recorded two outs. You have to think this was as much about not taking an extremely stressful inning and adding to it as anything. Skenes threw 37 pitches, and Pirates manager Don Kelly didn't want to tax him more. A stunning first for the Mets."
When will Skenes pitch again?
As of now, Skenes is on track to start against the Cincinnati Reds on April 1. That'll be his first start at home this season.
Skenes is such a fierce competitor that we'd have to imagine he'll bounce back with a gem of a performance.
If not, Pirates fans might have their hand hovering over the panic button.
