Paul Skenes was one of the first players to commit to Team USA for the World Baseball Classic last year, and with the tournament beginning on Wednesday, March 4, he is now even more confident in his decision.
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ ace and 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner spoke with MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger about his commitment yesterday, citing pride for his country as his primary motivator.
“First and foremost, I care because I’m from America and love America. I’ve seen the WBCs in the past, and there’s no bigger stage or greater honor than wearing USA across your chest,” Skenes said.
On a more personal level, Skenes also has a unique connection to the U.S. military, as he played at the U.S. Air Force Academy for two seasons before transferring to LSU in 2023. While his professional baseball career has taken off in the last three years, there was a point in time where Skenes was set on serving in the Air Force.
Paul Skenes And The US Air Force Academy
Skenes began his college career in Colorado Springs, Colorado as a catcher and a pitcher. In his two years at the academy, he was one of the best players in program history, both behind the dish and on the mound.
The Lake Forest, California native batted .367 with 24 home runs and a .669 slugging percentage while also posting a 2.72 career ERA, striking out 126 batters in 112.2 innings. He was the 2021 Mountain West Freshman of the Year and the 2022 John Olerud Award winner, given to the nation’s best two-way player.
Skenes chose Air Force out of high school over schools like Stanford and UCLA because he wanted to have a career in the military after college baseball. While his talents on the diamond ultimately led him to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and the National League’s best pitcher in 2025, Skenes will still get to represent the United States for the next two weeks.
“There was a big part of me that was intent on serving in the military as a career after college,” Skenes told Amsinger. “[The WBC] is not serving, but it’s a pretty close second.”
When Will Paul Skenes Pitch In the WBC?
Team USA announced its starting rotation for the tournament on Monday, March 2. Logan Webb (San Francisco Giants), Tarik Skubal (Detroit Tigers), Skenes and Nolan McLean (New York Mets) will start the pool play games, with the Pirates’ right hander slated for March 9 against Mexico.
“I think for me, it was just honest conversations with guys throughout the year. Skenes was easy, which made my life a lot easier,” said manager Mark DeRosa regarding the pitchers who ultimately committed to Team USA.
The squad will face the Giants in an exhibition game on Tuesday, March 3, a tune up before the WBC begins. Skenes will start the game with Griffin Jax (Tampa Bay Rays), Gabe Speier (Seattle Mariners), David Bednar (New York Yankees) and Mason Miller (San Diego Padres) set to follow him.
Pirates’ Paul Skenes Speaks On WBC Participation