Paul Skenes is one of the best pitchers on the planet, and that really hasn't been questioned at any point during his first two MLB seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
If he keeps this up, he'll have a chance to make all kinds of history and set all sorts of records.
In 2026, Skenes could set two records if he keeps up his current pace.
MLB.com's Sarah Langs wrote a new article this weekend breaking down the different all-time marks that could fall in the 2026 MLB season. Skenes featured prominently on the list.
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The first record that could be set is if Skenes leads the National League in ERA. It'd be the second consecutive year that he led in ERA.
Skenes would be the youngest to lead his league in ERA in back-to-back seasons since it was an official stat in 1913, according to Langs.
That previous record is currently held by Clayton Kershaw.
Skenes also could set a strikeout record.
"Skenes is also projected to lead the NL in strikeouts, with 237," Langs writes. "He would be the fifth youngest to lead his league in both ERA and strikeouts by age at the end of the season, older than only 1985 Gooden (20 years, 324 days), 1940 Bob Feller (21 years, 331 days), 1965 Sam McDowell (23 years, 12 days) and 2011 Kershaw (23 years, 193 days)."
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The key to the Pirates' season ahead really isn't Skenes, though. They're expecting him to be a superstar, as usual.
Pittsburgh needs the rest of its roster to live up to Skenes. If Skenes can get some help, this can be a sneakily dangerous club.
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