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Paul Skenes has told his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates to 'look in the mirror' after they were eliminated from playoff contention two weeks before the end of the season.
Skenes, the boyfriend of TikTok sensation and ex-gymnast Livvy Dunne, has failed to make it to the postseason in his first two years with the Pirates despite the impressive form on the mound that is set to win him another prestigious individual award in 2025.
The 23-year-old doesn't pitch to win awards, but games. And neither Skenes - though largely through no fault of his own - nor his team has done enough of that to avoid another last-place finish in the NL Central.
So, no matter how much he believes he has grown professionally during his first full season in the majors - and he's a near lock to become the first player in four decades to win Rookie of the Year one year and the Cy Young award, which is handed to the best pitcher in each conference, the next - he's more concerned about how Pittsburgh responds over the winter.
'This is a wasted year if we don't learn what we need to do and we don't know why we didn't go out there and do what we wanted to do,' Skenes said Friday. 'If those things happen, then it's a wasted year, in my opinion.
'I don't think that's happening. I think - individually, as a team and as an organization - we know the adjustments we need to make. Now, we've just got to do them.'
Paul Skenes has told his Pirates teammates to 'look in the mirror' amid their disastrous year
Skenes, the boyfriend of TikTok sensation and ex-gymnast Livvy Dunne (pictured), has failed to make it to the postseason in each of his first two years in Pittsburgh
A season that began with the Pirates hoping to return to contention for the first time in a decade quickly disintegrated during a nightmarish 12-26 start that led to manager Derek Shelton's firing.
Though Don Kelly steadied things after replacing him, and Skenes has been the most dominant pitcher in the game, Pittsburgh entered its final home series against the Athletics this weekend having dropped 11 of 12 to assure the franchise's 29th losing season since 1992.
The worst offense in the majors - Pittsburgh is last or near last in every major offensive category, from runs to home runs to OPS - has also put Skenes on the cusp of making some unwanted history. Despite an MLB-leading 2.03 ERA to go with 209 strikeouts and a .199 batting average against, he holds a 10-10 record heading into what will likely be his final start of the season early next week in Cincinnati.
No starting pitcher has captured the Cy Young with a record of .500 or worse. Skenes is a heavy favorite to hear his name called when the award is announced Nov. 20. By then, he will already have begun his preparations for 2026. The pitching phenomenon is hoping and expecting those around him to do the same.
'There's room to get better in this locker room,' Skenes said. 'We just need to do it. I'm sure we'll get some pieces and do all that, but my mind right now is 'What can we do within the locker room to get better, now and for next year?' There's urgency to it, and we need to understand that and act on it.'
'It's going to take a lot of guys taking a look in the mirror, figuring out what it is that they need to get better at, and making sacrifices to do that,' he added.
But the 23-year-old pitching sensation is still an overwhelming favorite for the Cy Young award
Amid the losing, Skenes has tried to remain upbeat. He has also been firm in his commitment to the team and the community, even spending a portion of a rare Thursday off day by delivering meals to firefighters and first responders at a station in the suburbs, joking that it was kind of a bummer he didn't get to blare the horn on one of the trucks.
Though he remains under team control for the rest of the decade, general manager Ben Cherington has faced questions on whether Skenes - who will likely command record-setting numbers once he becomes eligible for salary arbitration should he stay on his current path - could be traded.
The club remains firm in its commitment to him, though there haven't been talks about an extension, mostly because it's not something Skenes wants to discuss during the season. That might come up over the winter, though he will be more focused on shoring up what few holes he might have in his game, even if he doesn't know what they might be.
'I'll figure it out,' he said. 'I'll figure out exactly what it is. I know I can get better. Just got to figure out what it is.'
