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Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Pitcher Paul Skenes Making Wrong Type Of History In 2025

Originally posted on Total Apex Sports | By Justin Rimpi | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 11:04 AM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Pitcher Paul Skenes is making history for all the wrong reasons this season. There have been 90 occurrences all-time of an MLB pitcher having a sub-2.10 ERA and 80+ strikeouts through 13 starts of a season. At 4-6, Skenes is the only one with a losing record.

The young ace is 4-6 with a 2.05 ERA this year He is seventh in the league in ERA, 11th in strikeouts, and third in WHIP. Skenes’ lack of wins has been due to Pittsburgh’s terrible offense. He walked away with a loss in his last start against the Houston Astros. He surrendered one earned run over eight innings of work. Pittsburgh lost 3-0. Will he continue pitching well for a team going in the wrong direction?

Paul Skenes Career Summary

There have been 90 occurrences all-time of an MLB pitcher having a sub-2.10 ERA & 80+ strikeouts through 13 starts of a season.

Paul Skenes (4-6) in 2025 is the only one to have a losing record. pic.twitter.com/zaIcScjE6G

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) June 8, 2025

Skenes entered the league with tremendous fanfare. He has lived up to it thus far. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. He was then one of the best prospects in the minor leagues in 2023 and early in the 2024 season. The star pitcher made his MLB debut on May 11, 2024, against the Chicago Cubs. Skenes was the No. 1 prospect in the league when he was called up.

Even in limited work last season, 23 appearances, he finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting and ran away with the Rookie of the Year. Skenes is the odds-on favorite to win the 2025 NL Cy Young Award. The only thing that may hold him back is his win-loss record.

Final Thoughts

Skenes will take the mound again this afternoon at home against the Philadelphia Phillies. He faced the Phillies on May 18 and walked away with another tough loss. He surrendered one earned run over eight innings of work. Pittsburgh gave the star pitcher zero runs of support. The ace will look to continue pitching well, and not be swayed by a horrendous offense.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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