Paul Skenes often draws attention when he speaks on controversial topics, and this time he didn’t hold back after the Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton ahead of a leadership change for the rest of the season.
The young Pirates pitcher acknowledged the team’s rough start, saying he wasn’t surprised by the move. “Unfortunately I wasn’t shocked,” he admitted, referring to the club’s decision to part ways with Shelton.
Skenes also stressed that someone had to take responsibility for the Pirates‘ 12-26 record. “At the end of the day, I mean, we’re 12-26. Someone’s gotta be held accountable.” Now, with Shelton gone, the question is whether that change will spark a turnaround.
Skenes understands how difficult the situation is in Pittsburgh.
He acknowledged that firing Shelton alone won’t solve everything. “Unfortunately, right now, it’s him,” Skenes said, recognizing the tough calls a front office must make to try to improve the team. “That’s just kind of how it goes.”
Still, he made it clear that the real fix has to come from within the clubhouse. “I don’t know that it fixes the root of the issue, which is that we need to play better,” he said. “That’s been the messaging today, that’s been the messaging for a little bit now. And we still gotta do that.”
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The Pirates still have time to turn things around.
At the very least, Pittsburgh snapped a rough May skid with a recent 3-2 win over the Braves, potentially the start of a turnaround after losing seven straight to begin the month. Sitting at 13-26 and last in the NL Central, the team still has over 100 games left—plenty of room to improve and chase what would be their first postseason appearance since 2015.