Impact of the World Baseball Classic on Paul Skenes’ Performance

The World Baseball Classic might have lasted only two weeks, but its effects were noticeable throughout the season. Pittsburgh Pirates ace, Paul Skenes, has struggled this year. His velocity and command have declined. After ERAs of 1.97 and 1.96 in the last two seasons, Skenes now stands at a 3.91 ERA. He attributes part of this change to the World Baseball Classic.

“There are a lot of other factors, so I don’t want to put everything on that,” Skenes mentioned to the Post-Gazette. “But I feel like that was kind of the root of it a little bit.”

The World Baseball Classic took place from March 3 to March 17. Skenes noted that pitchers don’t normally throw at maximum effort during this period. “Usually, at that time of year, you’re ramping up, and it’s a bit slow. You can find your body,” he said. Early in the season, despite not achieving his typical speed, Skenes performed well without his usual fast pitch. In his rookie year, he averaged 98.8 mph, and last season saw 98.1 mph. This year was different, with an average of 96.8 mph.

The 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner expressed his desire to increase his speed. He made mechanical adjustments, but these efforts did not improve his velocity. “Unfortunately, it’s probably going to take an offseason to get it back,” Skenes admitted. He noted the influence of the World Baseball Classic but did not entirely blame it, acknowledging that other pitchers faced similar challenges.

Skenes stated, “It definitely affected the year. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the only one.”

The Pirates look forward to their ace’s return to form in 2027 and hope to make a postseason push, assuming a season amid an impending lockout.