Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, whose season has been marked by an uncharacteristic dip in velocity, cited the World Baseball Classic as a source of his struggles this year.
Skenes discussed his disappointing 2026 season with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, saying that the WBC was "kind of the root" of the diminished velocity that plagued him in recent months.
"There are a lot of other factors, so I don't want to put everything on [the WBC]," Skenes told the Post-Gazette as part of a wide-ranging interview published Monday. "But I feel like that was kind of the root of it a little bit."
Skenes' average fastball velocity this season was 96.8 mph, down from 98.1 mph last season and 98.8 mph in 2024.
The three-time All-Star's four-seam fastball dropped to a career-low 95.7 mph in a start last month against the Miami Marlins and averaged just 96.1 mph in his most recent start Friday against the Kansas City Royals.
Although he acknowledged mechanical adjustments that also contributed to his performance, Skenes mentioned the impact that the early-March WBC had on his annual ramp-up routine.
"Usually, that time of year, you're kind of ramping up and it's a little bit slow," he told the Post-Gazette. "You can kind of get onto the slope and find your body. One live [batting practice], you're topping at 97, and then the next you're 98, 99.
"And that wasn't the case this year. ... Looking back, I don't think that really helped."
Skenes, 24, is 10-11 with a 3.91 ERA and has 192 strikeouts in 168 innings over 31 starts this season. He won the National League Cy Young Award last year, when he boasted a major-league-best 1.97 ERA, and was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2024, when he had a 1.96 ERA.
Skenes revealed that he didn't feel 100% mechanically even early this season, when he was still posting his usual dominant numbers -- including a 1.09 ERA during an eight-start stretch in April and May.
"Even then, I didn't feel like I had my delivery," he said. "It's just weird. It's easier to kind of put your finger on it after the fact than it is in the moment."
Skenes said he expects to regain his mechanics ahead of the 2027 season. He emphasized that he doesn't regret representing Team USA, but added that the WBC "affected" his season with the Pirates.
"It definitely affected the year," he said. "Unfortunately, I don't think I'm the only one. ... Yeah, I don't know. [The WBC] definitely didn't make things easier."
