Paul Skenes spiraled into a disastrous outing on 2026 Opening Day. After a strong spring training and a sharp showing in the World Baseball Classic, he couldn’t carry that momentum into his first start with the Pittsburgh Pirates and was pulled before the first inning ended.
ESPN Insights shared three unwanted records from Skenes’ outing against the New York Mets: the shortest start of his career, the shortest Opening Day start ever by a reigning Cy Young winner, and a tie for the most earned runs he has allowed in a game.
It took just 37 pitches for Skenes to exit the game, with the Mets already holding a 5-2 lead. The manager made the call early, avoiding further damage in a game where the ace had clearly lost command.
Not all the blame fell on Skenes
It’s worth noting that not everything went wrong because of Skenes. Oneil Cruz struggled in the outfield, misplaying fly balls that should have been routine, whether due to the wind or the sun, and those mistakes directly led to runs for the home team.
Fans quickly reacted to the defensive issues. One comment from Kody Duncan on X (@kodyduncanpgh) pointed out that Cruz should move back to shortstop, with adjustments across the field to stabilize the defense, highlighting how costly those outfield mistakes were in such a short MLB outing.
Even Joel Embiid weighed in on X, expressing disbelief at the decision to pull Skenes so early. The right-hander finished with just 0.2 innings pitched, allowing four hits, two walks, and five earned runs for a staggering 67.50 ERA to open the season.
Is something different in 2026?
Analyst Mike Rodriguez noted a possible mechanical issue in Skenes’ delivery, suggesting he may be tipping pitches by showing the ball more before release. It’s a flaw that has hurt pitchers before, including Jesus Luzardo, and could explain the sudden loss of effectiveness.
