What Multi-Time Cy Young Winner Wants To See From Pirates’ Paul Skenes

Paul Skenes will start an interleague matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. That means a future Hall of Famer can watch the budding ace work.

Fans nearly witnessed an epic passing-of-the-torch matchup between Skenes and Max Scherzer, who’s scheduled to pitch for Toronto on Tuesday. The three-time Cy Young Award winner is helping the Blue Jays vie for the American League East crown in his 18th season.

While Scherzer is impressed with the spectacular start to Skenes’ career, the 41-year-old is eager to see if the 23-year-old will cement himself as a workhorse. He discussed his hopes for the Pirates ace ahead of their encounter, per Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.

“To me, the biggest thing is durability,” Scherzer said. “You have a lot of pitchers come up with really good stuff, and that’s great. Obviously he’s off to a great start in his career, one of the best starts to a career ever, but I want to see him go 200 innings. The biggest thing I watch for year over year is durability. I want to see what he’s doing in 2027, not just now.”

Scherzer worked six consecutive 200-inning seasons from 2013 to 2018, winning all three of his Cy Youngs during a dominant peak. The right-hander kept his ERA below 3.00 and WHIP under 1.00 in five of those campaigns, averaging 270 strikeouts per season.

However, 200 innings is a far taller task now. Only four pitchers reached that mark in 2024.

Skenes almost certainly won’t hit 200 this season. He’s worked 148 frames in 25 starts, and the Pirates have exuded more caution with their franchise cornerstone as the year progressed. The former No. 1 pick hasn’t recorded an out past the sixth inning in his last 11 turns.

Skenes nevertheless remains firmly in the NL Cy Young Award mix with a 2.13 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 166 strikeouts. He can establish himself as the front-runner with a strong outing in front of Scherzer and fans at PNC Park when the Pirates play the Blue Jays on Monday at 6:40 p.m. ET.

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