Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes will be one of Team USA’s best assets in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Ever since Skenes made his debut for the Pirates in May 2024, he’s easily a top-five MLB pitcher, even winning the NL Cy Young last season.
Skenes recently shared his enthusiasm for representing Team USA in the WBC. The Pirates ace has worn several jerseys, but you can take a guess which jersey he is most proud of.
“Out of all the jerseys I’ve had, the USA one is the one I’m most proud of wearing,” Skenes said via Shawn Spradling on X.
Even during the recently concluded Winter Games in Italy, Skenes took pride in being a US citizen while citing the nation’s domination there.
“We’re America, we’ve got to assert our dominance over everybody else. That’s what we do,” he said on Feb. 25.
Appearing alongside reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge and AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal on MLB Network, Skenes said he would have never denied an opportunity to represent his country.
“I don’t need time… In high school I thought I was going to be flying jets. As a fan of the game I was like, ‘If I ever get the chance to do this, I’m never saying no,’” Skenes said.
When Will Paul Skenes Make His Team USA Debut?
Team USA manager Mark DeRosa has assembled an elite pitching rotation. San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb has already started the game against Brazil, which Team USA won 15-5. Next up, Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal made his only start in the tournament on Saturday against Great Britain.
Paul Skenes is the next man in the rotation, and he’s scheduled to pitch on Monday against Mexico. Rounding up the rotation, New York Mets ace Nolan McLean will sleeve up for the final pool stage game against Italy on March 10.
Like Skubal, there’s a good chance Skenes will also be limited to certain innings or pitch count in his start. But, if Team USA advances ahead into the knockout stages of the tournament, the right-handed flamethrower is expected to pitch more.
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