Pirates ace Paul Skenes has nightmare opening day start vs Mets, leaves before first inning ends

Former MLB player Micah Johnson discusses the 2026 Major League Baseball season and how the World Baseball Classic is boosting interest in the sport on ‘Fox Report.’

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, couldn't have had a more disastrous start to the 2026 MLB season after not making it out of the first inning against the New York Mets.

Pirates manager Don Kelly took a stroll out to the Citi Field mound to pull Skenes after the Mets put together a five-run first inning that wasn't all on the phenom right-hander.

But some soft contact, inconsistent accuracy, and two bad plays in center field by O'Neil Cruz had Skenes’ final line read just two-thirds of an inning, five runs allowed on four hits and two walks, and he’ll have to look at an inflated 67.50 ERA to start the year on the wrong foot. 

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Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches against the Mets on opening day at Citi Field on March 26, 2026, in Queens, New York City. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)

The five runs earned tied a career high allowed for Skenes, who found himself in early trouble when Juan Soto’s single allowed Francisco Lindor, who walked to start the bottom of the first inning, to get to third base. 

With runners on the corners, Bo Bichette’s first at-bat with the Mets wound up a sacrifice fly to get New York on the board, making it a 2-1 ball game. 

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Things started to unravel for Skenes after that. Jorge Polanco’s first Mets at-bat was a swinging bunt, as he reached first base with no throw. Then, after a hard-fought at-bat by Luis Robert Jr. ended with a walk, Skenes found