Since debuting in May 2024, Paul Skenes has been arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Unfortunately for him, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lineup hasn’t held up its end of the bargain.
The Pirates have struggled offensively during Skenes’ first two seasons, ranking 24th in scoring in 2024 and 30th last year. Their poor run support has resulted in a lot of no-decisions and tough luck losses for their young ace, who went 10-10 last season despite leading the Major Leagues in ERA and FIP en route to the NL Cy Young Award.
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That brings Skenes’s career record to 21-13, but it should be much better than that. According to a recent deep dive by The Athletic (subscription required), his career record would be an astonishing 41-3 if he’d merely gotten average run support in all 55 of his career starts.
Obviously, that’s not how run support works, but you get the idea. Pittsburgh’s meager offense has been holding Skenes back, masking his historic greatness.
Fortunately for Skenes, the Pirates have beefed up their lineup this offseason, adding several quality bats in Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, Jhostynxon Garcia and Jake Mangum. Pittsburgh’s offense should be considerably better in 2026, perhaps closer to league average.
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If that happens, Skenes could see his win total skyrocket as a result, potentially giving him a chance to become the team’s first 20-game winner since John Smiley in 1991.
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The post New Study Reveals Paul Skenes’ Insane Record With Normal Run Support appeared first on SportsNet Pittsburgh.