Paul Skenes Faces Backlash for Blaming WBC on Performance Issues

WHO:

Fox News - Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates ace

Sportskeeda - Paul Skenes, NL Cy Young winner in 2025

WHAT:

Fox News - Paul Skenes linked a velocity dip and a nearly doubled ERA this season to the World Baseball Classic.

Sportskeeda - Fans criticized Paul Skenes for blaming the 2026 World Baseball Classic for his underperformance in MLB.

WHERE:

Fox News - Pittsburgh, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates

WHEN:

Sportskeeda - The 2026 World Baseball Classic is referenced as a factor in Skenes' performance issues.

WHY:

Fox News - Skenes stated that the World Baseball Classic disrupted his spring ramp-up, contributing to his performance issues.

HOW:

Fox News - Skenes indicated that the disruption from the World Baseball Classic affected his preparation for the MLB season.

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who won the NL Cy Young award in 2025, has linked his performance struggles this season to the World Baseball Classic. Fans have criticized Skenes for attributing his nearly doubled ERA and velocity dip to the tournament, which he claims disrupted his spring training ramp-up. Skenes stated that this disruption significantly affected his preparation for the MLB season.