In a shocking opening day collapse, reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes lasted only one inning for the Pittsburgh Pirates, surrendering five runs to the New York Mets. This unprecedented early exit for a pitcher of his caliber immediately raises questions about his mechanics, defensive support, and the Pirates’ 2026 championship aspirations.
NEW YORK — The scene was surreal at Citi Field. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly emerged from the dugout to remove his ace, Paul Skenes, from the mound. The 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner had thrown just 37 pitches, allowed five runs, and witnessed his defense commit two critical errors. This was not the script Pirates fans envisioned for their 23-year-old superstar’s second opening day start.
The damage began immediately. Skenes walked leadoff hitter Francisco Lindor on seven pitches, hit Juan Soto with a pitch, and surrendered a sacrifice fly from Bo Bichette. After a visit from pitching coach Bill Murphy, Oneil Cruz misplayed Brett Baty‘s line drive into a bases-loaded triple, a play that easily could have been the third out. Marcus Semien then blooped a ball into center that Cruz lost in the sun, turning into an RBI double and extending the inning.
Skenes’ final line—one inning, five runs, four hits, two walks, one hit batter—matched his career high in runs allowed but in a fraction of the time. His previous high came over six innings against St. Louis on April 8, 2025. This marked the shortest start of his 56 major league outings and made him only the eighth pitcher since 1906 to allow five or more runs in less than an inning in a season opener AP News.
Manager Kelly emphasized that the removal was precautionary, focused entirely on Skenes’ health. “It’s a really tough thing going to get him in the first inning right there,” Kelly explained. “You’re getting close to 40 pitches… If he runs another 7-10, you’re into dangerous territory with the starting pitcher in one inning.” Skenes himself downplayed personal frustration, calling it an “abnormal outing” and noting the pitch count was managed carefully given his recent workload with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic AP News.
The defensive meltdown by Cruz cannot be overstated. A converted shortstop still adjusting to center field, Cruz’s errors directly contributed to at least three unearned runs. His misread on Baty’s line drive and the sun-aided loss on Semien’s pop-up were plays that even an elite defender might struggle with, but they amplified the pressure on Skenes. Kelly acknowledged the learning curve: “He just needs to continue to get better.”
For context, Skenes entered 2026 as the cornerstone of a Pirates rotation expected to lead a playoff push. His 2025 Cy Young season featured a 2.15 ERA and 242 strikeouts over 176 innings. An opening day exit before the first inning’s end shatters the narrative of invincibility and forces a reevaluation of his durability and the team’s defensive infrastructure.
Fan theories are already swirling. Was the WBC participation a factor in diminished arm strength or command? Did the high-pressure New York environment disrupt his rhythm? Or was this simply a volatile combination of poor defense and a pitcher lacking his typical pinpoint fastball control? While Kelly dismissed the WBC as a contributing factor, the “precautionary” pull suggests lingering concerns.
The immediate fallout is a bullpen game on opening day, straining a relief corps that must now cover eight innings. More broadly, it hands a psychological edge to NL Central rivals who see a
