Pittsburgh Pirates News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Mar 9, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; United States pitcher Paul Skenes (30) delivers a pitch in the first inning against Mexico at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Pirates' Paul Skenes Faces Tough Task vs. Dominican Republic

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Mar 15, 2026 6:19 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes readies for his final Team USA start in the World Baseball Classic, where he'll take on one of the best lineups he'll ever face.

Skenes takes the mound for Team USA in the semifinals of the WBC, where he faces Team Dominican Republic at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, on March 15, with first pitch set for 8 p.m.

This will serve as Skenes' second and final start for Team USA in the WBC, as there is only one more game, the final on March 17, which he won't start for.

Skenes has the tough task of battling the top hitting team in the tournament, with some of the top bats in baseball.

Who Skenes Faces on Team Dominican Republic

Player	Position	MLB Team
Fernando Tatis Jr.	Right Fielder	San Diego Padres
Ketel Marte	Second Base	Arizona Diamondbacks
Juan Soto	Left Fielder	New York Mets
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	First Base	Toronto Blue Jays
Manny Machado	Third Base	San Diego Padres
Junior Caminero	Designated Hitter	Tampa Bay Rays
Julio Rodríguez	Center Fielder	Seattle Mariners
Austin Wells	Catcher	New York Yankees
Geraldo Perdomo	Shortstop	Arizona Diamondbacks

Skenes faces a lineup almost entirely filled of 2025 All-Stars, with only catcher Austin Wells and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo in the eighth and ninth spots in the lineup not a part of that. Perdomo still won a Silver Slugger Award last season and Wells is a solid part of the New York Yankees lineup.

The outfield will include the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. in right field, Julio Rodríguez in center field and Juan Soto in left field.

Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz is not starting, so it's likely that he doesn't get a chance to face off against Skenes in this meeting, despite having two 400+ foot home runs in the WBC.

The infield is also impressive, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, Ketel Marte at second base, Manny Machado at third base and Perdomo at shortstop.

All of these hitters have combined to lead the WBC in almost all categories, besides doubles, as Team USA, Team Italy and Team Venezuela have 11 each.

Batting Average	Slugging Percentage	On-Base Percentage	OPS
.312	.637	.453	1.090

Stat	Total
Hits	49 (Tied with Team USA)
Runs Scored	51
Home Runs	14
RBI	50
Walks	39

Those 14 home runs are also tied for the most by a single team in any WBC, with Team Mexico in 2009.

Skenes will go around 70-75 pitches, so he could pitch as deep as the sixth and seventh innings, depending on how well he performs vs. Team Dominican Republic.

While this lineup also poses problems for Skenes, he's been incredibly effective against these Dominican hitters, holding them to four hits in 42 plate appearances against the roster, including 10 strikeouts.

Rodríguez has three hits off of Skenes and Soto has two walks, but other than that, there's little success against the 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner.

How Skenes Has pitched for Team USA So Far

Skenes has made two starts for Team USA this month, the first an exhibition and the second one in the World Baseball Classic

He took on the San Francisco Giants in an exhibition at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz. back on March 3. He gave up a leadoff double and a run, but shutdown the next nine batters with three strikeouts to have a strong showing overall.

Skenes then faced off against a strong Team Mexico lineup in WBC Pool Play on March 9 at Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros.

He got some great defensive plays, particularly from Bobby Witt Jr. and Aaron Judge, but had a great outing overall.

Skenes finished with seven strikeouts, a record for a Team USA pitcher in a WBC, doing so over four innings and utilizing his pitch mix incredibly well.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: