Opening Day for Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes couldn’t have started any better. Then, it was much worse than anyone could have guessed.
Skenes took the mound for his 2026 debut with a 2-run lead. Early run support has been a rare thing for the 2025 National League Cy Young winner with the Pirates.
In the top of the first Thursday against the New York Mets, new Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe registered a 2-run homer.
In the bottom of the first, though, Skenes couldn’t get out of the frame. The right-hander walked two and hit a batter while only recording two outs.
Skenes didn’t get much help. With the bases loaded, center fielder Oneil Cruz allowed a triple to land over his head. Cruz’s first step on the extra-base hit was in toward the infielder rather than back.
In the next at-bat, Cruz lost a routine pop-up in the sun to allow another run to score.
Skenes exited after throwing 37 pitches to nine batters. He allowed five runs on four hits with two walks, a hit batsman and one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.
Paul Skenes Experiences Career Low Point on 2026 Opening Day
Skenes began the third season of his MLB career with the shortest outing he’s ever had with the Pirates. In his first two campaigns, Skenes had never failed to finish at least two innings.
The right-hander immediately got into trouble Thursday afternoon at Citi Field. He walked Francisco Lindor to begin his start after falling behind with a 3-0 count. Juan Soto then singled, pushing Lindor to third base.
Mets high-priced free agent Bo Bichette lifted a fly ball in foul territory deep enough down the first base line to bring home Lindor. But at least with Bichette, Skenes recorded an out.
The right-hander induced soft contact to the next batter, but Jorge Polanco’s swinging butt resulted in a single. Then, Luis Robert Jr. earned a 10-pitch walk.
That at-bat was really impressive from Robert. He fouled off several Skenes pitches to stay alive. But clearly, the Pirates ace didn’t have his best stuff Thursday and failed to put away Robert.
With the bases juiced, Cruz then couldn’t deliver a couple outs to Skenes when he really needed it. Neither of Cruz’s mistakes were counted as errors in the game’s official score.
Skenes finished his outing with a strikeout and hit-by-pitch to the two hitters after the Mets made contact to center field.
Oneil Cruz Commits 2 Fielding Mistakes in First Inning of 2026
Pirates analyst Neil Walker mentioned during the Opening Day stream Thursday that Cruz worked hard on improving defensively in the offseason. In 2025, he led center fielders with 11 errors and posted poor defensive analytics.
In the first inning of the season opener, though, it sure didn’t look like Cruz’s hard work paid off.
While he avoided getting an error in the box score, both of his mistakes are considered rather basic outfield blunders. The second mistake, he looked like a little leaguer dropping a pop-up.
Cruz is extremely athletic, with a rare blend of speed and power. He led the league with 38 stolen bases last season and recorded his second consecutive 20-homer campaign.
But the Pirates have been unable to find a spot on the field for Cruz over the past five years. Early in his career, he struggled at shortstop.
His potential, though, makes his mistakes Thursday all that much more frustrating for Pirates fans. Despite all his talent, Cruz continues to make routine blunders in the field.
Cruz might need to hit a couple homers to make up for his mistakes Thursday.
Entering the fourth inning, the Pirates trailed the Mets 5-3.
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