Paul Skenes Reaches 200 Strikeouts in Final Start of Season

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes closed out his campaign by allowing one run on three hits across 6.1 innings while striking out eight Cardinals. His strikeout of Leo Bernal marked his 200th of the year. Skenes finishes an up-and-down sophomore campaign with a 10-11 record, 3.82 ERA, and 1.12 WHIP over 174.1 innings across 32 starts. Skenes stated after his final start that he does not view the 2026 season as a failure despite falling short of expectations.