Paul Skenes gets season ERA below 2.00 with latest overpowering start
from Mike J. Asti, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
When Paul Skenes gave up five runs in an Opening Day loss, he left the mound with an obscene ERA of 67.50.
Fast forward to his latest start on Tuesday, a no-hit bid through seven innings, and the 2025 National League Cy Young winner has brought his ERA all the way down to more familiar territory.
Now nine starts into the 2026 season, Skenes’ season ERA is below 2.00 at 1.98. After entering the day with a 2.36 mark, Skenes’ ERA sits below 2.00 for the first time of the season thanks to one of his best performances of the year.
Paul Skenes flirted with a no-hitter throughout most of the night against the Rockies
In a 3-1 Pirates win over the Colorado Rockies, Skenes threw an eight-inning shutout, striking out 10 and allowing only two hits.
While his Skenes’ overall 2026 has been below the standard he first set as the NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 and then exceeded last year, he’s been dealing as of late.
He’s now reached eight innings of work in consecutive shutouts . In his last appearance prior to Tuesday, he also only gave up just a pair of hits and struck out seven against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
His start also made history:
Jason Mackey
@JMackey_PGH
Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the only Pirates in the Expansion Era (since 1961) to strike out 6 or more consecutive batters to begin a game:
Paul Skenes (7, 5/17/24 at CHC)
Andrew Heaney (6, 4/23/25 at LAA)
Paul Skenes (6, tonight vs. COL)
Skenes has been dominant in most of his starts since Opening Day
No surprise, Skenes proved his career-worst outing in New York against the Mets back on March 26 was an aberration by registering a 1.09 ERA since that walking off the mound at Citi Field.
The next step for the Pirates ace is to keep his ERA below 2.00, as he’s yet to finish a season above that number — 1.96 as a rookie and 1.97 in his sophomore campaign.
And if Skenes can stay at this current level, he will be in the conversation for his second Cy Young Award in as many seasons, maybe even doing so for a more competitive 23-19 Pittsburgh team that hopes to stay in the race all summer long.
Overall, Skenes holds a 6-2 record, already just four wins shy of matching his 2025 total, has 56 strikeouts, only seven walks and a 0.64 WHIP to go along with his 1.98 ERA.