Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has already won the MLB National League Rookie of the Year award, was a starter in the double All-Star Games that Clayton Kershaw in his career and is about to receive the Cy Young Award; however, the pitcher is stuck on one of the worst teams in all of MLB.
What MLB has here is the kind of starting pitcher Rob Manfred could only dream of before Skenes came along: an ace making history at a time when aces of all kinds are becoming extinct. So it’s a shame that all of this is being wasted in a small market and on one of the most miserable franchises in MLB.
Paul Skenes doesn’t deserve to be on the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh is in last place in the National League Central with just 65 wins on the season. In the overall standings, the Pennsylvania team is ranked 27th, ahead of only three teams: the Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies. So their situation is more than complicated heading into the postseason.
His 2.00 ERA is the lowest for a pitcher in his first 54 starts. His 210 ERA+ is the best ever for a starter in his first two seasons. Just as Skenes cannot be blamed for being a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, neither can they be blamed for how they have handled him.
Cubs close in on playoffs after beating Pirates
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch greeted Paul Skenes with his fourth home run in the first inning and the Chicago team came close to breaking a five-year playoff drought by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 on Tuesday, September 16.
The Cubs reduced their “magic number” to one by knocking Skenes (10-10) out of the game during an unusually tough outing for the National League Cy Young Award favorite. Busch started with his 29th home run of the season, putting the ball in the last row of seats over the Clemente Wall in right field.
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