Paul Skenes drops ERA to staggering 1.97 in final seasons start with Pirates

Paul Skenes earned this strut.

After throwing his final pitch of the 2025 season, a 98-mph fastball to strike out the Reds’ Spencer Steer in the Pirates’ 4-3 win in 11 innings Wednesday, the fireballing ace did a little spin and seemed to take in the totality of his incredible season.

The former No. 1 pick then slowly walked off the mound after tossing six shutout innings to bolster an already overwhelming resume to win the NL Cy Young Award in his first full season.

Skenes finished the campaing with a 1.97 ERA, becoming the first qualified pitcher 23 or younger to notch an ERA below 2.00 since Dwight Gooden in 1985, per MLB.com.

“I got a hundredth worse than last year, I’m actually worse than I was last year. I’m just kidding,” Skenes joked while referencing his 1.96 ERA in his rookie year last season. “It’s cool. I don’t come into the year with any numerical goals or anything like that, any stat goals, but it’s a product of doing what you’re supposed to — probably could have been lower, probably could have been higher, whatever. … Pretty cool.”

Skenes entered MLB with grandiose expectations after leading LSU to a national title and being drafted No. 1 overall in 2023 and he’s been just as good as advertised — and then some.

He went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA last year in 23 starts to finish third in the Cy Young and win NL Rookie of the Year, and he’s set to be named the NL’s best pitcher this offseason.

Wednesday’s outing — with girlfriend Livvy Dunne in attendance — summarized the Pirates’ season in perfect fashion: Skenes dominated, yet he earned a no-decision to somehow finish the season with a 10-10 record despite the league-best ERA.

He scattered four hits while striking out seven batters at Great American Ball Park, getting the better in a duel with Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene before the Pirates’ bullpen blew the 2-0 lead he handed it.

Pittsburgh ultimately won in extras, pleasing Mets fans since that result and the Dodgers downing the Diamondbacks kept the Amazin’s in possession of the final NL playoff spot.

“He’s the best in the world,” Pirates first baseman Horwitz said, per MLB.com. “I’ve said that time and time again, and he doesn’t disappoint.”

By tallying his seven strikeouts Wednesday to push his total to 216, Skenes set the new Pirates’ record for strikeouts for a right-handed pitcher and is tied for the NL lead and third-most among all pitchers.

Batters hit just .199 against him this season.

Skenes didn’t make much of his personal success after the game, although he indicated he hopes in the near future he’d like the Pirates to be the ones in the hunt and not just playing out the string.

“Biggest thing, just wanted to savor it,” Skenes said. “Knowing this was my last outing of the year, so I won’t be doing it again for six months or so. It’s kind of a tough realization, the past few days have been pretty tough for me knowing that. Nice to have it over with, wish I could keep pitching just for the joy of pitching. The sub-2.00 is a nice byproduct of it, I guess.”