Paul Skenes Closes Season With 200th Strikeout as Pirates Edge Cardinals
The short version
- Skenes closed 2026 with 2-1 win over the Cardinals in Pittsburgh's home finale at PNC Park
- Strikeout of Leo Bernal in the seventh gave him 200 strikeouts; he is the third Pirate with back-to-back 200-K seasons
- Finished 10-11 with a 3.82 ERA in 32 starts, up nearly two runs from his first two seasons
- Reigning NL Cy Young winner called the year a grind but pointed to his 32 starts as a positive
The reigning NL Cy Young winner capped a difficult third season with a 2-1 win over St. Louis in Pittsburgh's home finale at PNC Park.
PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes made his final start of the 2026 season Thursday at PNC Park, and the Pittsburgh Pirates closed out their home schedule with a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, the team's 81st victory of the year.
The right-hander limited the Cardinals to one run on three hits over nearly seven innings, walking two and striking out eight. He began the seventh at 90 pitches, then got one more batter — fanning designated hitter Leo Bernal to reach 200 strikeouts for the season. Skenes said he asked manager Don Kelly for that extra hitter, reasoning that if he had recorded a strikeout an inning earlier, he would not have needed to return.
The strikeout carried historical weight. Skenes became just the third pitcher in Pirates history to record back-to-back 200-strikeout seasons.
The milestone capped what Skenes himself described as a trying year. The reigning National League Cy Young winner finished 10-11 with a 3.82 ERA across 32 starts, with his ERA rising by nearly two full runs over his first two major league seasons. After a dominant stretch early in the year — a nine-start run in which he posted a 1.09 ERA — he managed a 4.56 ERA over his final 23 outings, with Pittsburgh going 9-14 in those games.
“It was a grind. It was definitely a grind,” Skenes said, though he stopped short of calling the season a failure. He said he would not spend the offseason dwelling on the year, adding that what pleased him most was making all 32 starts. Kelly praised Skenes' consistent preparation through the downturn, saying the right-hander held himself to a higher standard than anyone else.
Looking ahead, Skenes expressed confidence that both he and the improving Pirates have their best baseball in front of them. He said the offseason would give him a chance to review the full season with perspective rather than the day-to-day emotions of the schedule.
