Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Paul Skenes' latest feat shows why records shouldn't matter

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 12:15 AM ET

Football analysts often say that wins aren't a quarterback stat. The same principle should apply to Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes.

Entering Wednesday night, Skenes had a 10-10 record, tied for the 39th-best in baseball. However, that doesn't matter. He's still the best pitcher in the majors. Need more proof? Look at what he did Wednesday night.

Paul Skenes joins elite company against Reds

In a road game against the Cincinnati Reds, Skenes pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and striking out seven batters in a 4-3 win. The performance lowered his season ERA to 1.97. Per Alex Stumpf of MLB.com, he's the first pitcher to finish a season with a sub-two ERA since Justin Verlander's 1.75 with the Houston Astros in 2022.

Skenes, 23, also joined Dwight Gooden (1985 at 20), Vida Blue (1971 at 21) and Dean Chance (1964 at 23) as the only pitchers to record an ERA that low in an age-23 season or younger.

187.2 IP, 1.97 ERA, 216 K, 0.95 WHIP

What an unbelievable sophomore campaign from Paul Skenes! pic.twitter.com/yS6BiJYy1n
— MLB (@MLB) September 25, 2025

Skenes, of course, is the National League Cy Young favorite, but some would still argue for other candidates. ESPN lists Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta No. 1 in its updated Cy Young predictor. The Pirates star is No. 10.

Entering Wednesday night, Peralta had a 17-6 starting record, tied for the second-best in baseball. Still, giving him an individual award for being on a better team would be absurd.

Don't blame Paul Skenes' record on him

Skenes would win more games if he played for a better organization than the dysfunctional Pirates, whom he recently put on blast. Pittsburgh (69-89) hasn't made the playoffs since the 2015 season and hasn't won a division title since the 1992 season, before they moved from the NL East to the NL Central.

The Brewers, meanwhile, appear to be an emerging club. Milwaukee (96-63) has already secured its third straight NL Central title. The team is also on the verge of clinching a No. 1 seed in the postseason after beating the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Wednesday.

That's nothing against a great player in Peralta. However, he's not a generational talent like Skenes. Pittsburgh's ace should be rewarded as such, even if he's not playing for a World Series contender.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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