Pirates' Paul Skenes boasts historic numbers through first 50 starts

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes made the 50th start of his Major League career on Sunday afternoon and threw another gem. He went seven shutout innings against the Colorado Rockies in a 4-0 Pirates win, striking out seven and lowering his season ERA to just 2.07. 

It also lowered his career ERA to 2.02, putting him in some pretty exclusive company.

That ERA is the second-lowest in the Live Ball Era (since 1920) for a pitcher through their first 50 starts, trailing only the 2.01 mark owned by Vida Blue between the 1969 and 1972 seasons. 

Along with the historically low ERA, he also has a 0.94 WHIP, has held opponents to a .196 batting average, is averaging over 10 strikeouts per nine innings and has alrea dy started the All-Star game in each of his first two seasons.

He is also the front-runner for the National League Cy Young award thanks to an ERA that is, as of Sunday, 0.39 runs lower than any other starting pitcher in the National League.

It is also 0.25 runs lower than Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the American League leader in ERA. 

He becomes an even bigger front-runner for the award after the news from this weekend that Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler is going to miss the remainder of the 2025 season.

Skenes remains one of the Pirates' only bright spots, and it's a testament to how bad the team around him has been given that his own record is only 8-9 despite the consistently dominant pitching performances.