Paul Skenes removed after just 65 pitches — and without hitting 97 mph — in latest troubling start

Nypost · Aug 11, 2026 · 390 words · By Andrew Battifarano

Athletic Performance Decline Pitcher Velocity Analysis

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Athletic Performance Decline

Paul Skenes hasn’t been his Cy Young Award-winning self this season, and Tuesday’s start almost bordered on shocking.

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 2

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Paul Skenes hasn’t been his Cy Young Award-winning self this season, and Tuesday’s start almost bordered on shocking.

Why it matters

The Pirates ace threw just five innings — and just 65 pitches — before being yanked from the game in a 2-0 loss to the Marlins.

Common ground

He yielded just two runs against Miami, striking out four, but did serve up a solo homer in the bottom of the third and an RBI single in the fifth.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Thought-Terminating Cliché: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Athletic Performance Decline story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Skenes, who hit 99 mph or higher on his fastball 68 times last season, did not exceed 96.5 mph on his heater at loanDepot park?
How does this story connect Athletic Performance Decline with Pitcher Velocity Analysis over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/11/sports/pirates-paul-skenes-removed-after-just-65-p…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Thought-Terminating Cliché 90% confidence

Using a trite phrase to end debate ('it is what it is', 'agree to disagree').

Why it matters: Recognizing thought-terminating cliché helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified By Reference 2

info Single Source 2

check_circle

Claim 1: “Skenes, who hit 99 mph or higher on his fastball 68 times last season, did not exceed 96.5 mph on his heater at loanDepot park.”

CORROBORATED

Yahoo Sports confirms he did not throw higher than 96.5 mph on Tuesday and registered 99 mph or higher 68 times in 2025. This is supported by another source mentioning the velocity dip.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023 Major League Baseball draft took place on July 9–11, 2023, in Seattle. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. For the first time, a draft lottery was used to set a portion …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Major_League_Baseball_dra…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the franchise's 143rd season overall, 138th season as a member of the National League, and 24th season at PNC Park. On July 5, the Pirates tied a record for home…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Pittsburgh_Pirates_season

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Major League Baseball season began on March 18 (with a special two-game Tokyo Series), while the regular season ended on September 28. The postseason began on September 30. The World Series t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Major_League_Baseball_sea…

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 2: “Pirates manager Don Kelly said Skenes coming out at that after five innings did not have anything to do with an injury.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources explicitly quote manager Don Kelly stating the early exit was not due to an injury.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Pirates manager Don Kelly said Skenes coming out at that after five innings did not have anything to do with an injury.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/paul-skenes-removed-just-6…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Don Kelly Talks Pulling Skenes Early. Pirates manager Don Kelly made the move after the fifth inning, bringing in right-handed relief pitcher Yohan Ramírez for the sixth inning.
https://www.si.com/mlb/pirates/onsi/don-kelly-addresses-pitt…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — MIAMI -- After winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award and the NL Cy Young Award over his first two Major League seasons, Paul Skenes aimed to maintain that success in Year 3, according t…
https://www.mlb.com/news/paul-skenes-tosses-five-innings-aga…

check_circle

Claim 3: “But for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick and three-time National League All-Star, the numbers (3.88 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) have been far from what baseball fans have been used to seeing.”

CORROBORATED

Yahoo Sports explicitly lists his 3.88 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. Other sources confirm he was the 2023 first overall pick. Note: The 'three-time All-Star' part is not explicitly verified in the snippets, but the stats and draft position are.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Paul David Skenes is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. He made his MLB debut in 2024.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Skenes

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Paul Skenes' Major League debut, which came less than a year after he was selected first overall by the Pirates in the 2023 Draft, showcased why he is the top pitching prospect in baseball.
https://www.mlb.com/news/paul-skenes-guide

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — With a 3.88 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and each of his starts in August only lasting five innings, Skenes has pulled up far short of where he was expected in his third year. Additionally, his fastball clocked in …
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/paul-skenes-start-pushed-b…

check_circle

Claim 4: “And each of his starts in August have been five frames long.”

CORROBORATED

Both Yahoo Sports and another web source state that each of his starts in August lasted only five innings.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — His velocity has continued to sink lower than his average speed in past seasons. Specifically, his four-seam fastball sat at 95.7 mph and topped out at 96.5 mph. The 95.7 mph average was down from his…
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7507438/2026/08/11/pirates-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers during the first inning against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida. Getty Images. With a 3.88 ERA, 1.12 W…
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/paul-skenes-start-pushed-b…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Paul Skenes had the shortest start of his career on Opening Day as the Mets rocked the Pirates with 5 runs in the 1st inning. CF Oneil Cruz was particularly terrible and his inability to catch led to …
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/paul-skenes-opening-day-era

verified

Claim 5: “Skenes surrendered five runs in each of his final two starts of July and has allowed five in total across his first two games this month.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence does not contain specific run totals for Skenes' starts in July or the first two games of August.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jacob Walter Misiorowski ( miz-ə-ROW-skee; born April 3, 2002), nicknamed "the Miz", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Misiorowski

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paul David Skenes (, born May 29, 2002) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024. Skenes played college bas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Skenes

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tarik Daniel Skubal (born November 20, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Detroit Ti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarik_Skubal

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 6: “Skenes has now recorded three starts of 65 or fewer pitches this season after doing that just twice over his first two big league campaigns.”

SINGLE SOURCE

Yahoo Sports mentions this was his 'third of 65 or fewer pitches this season after only doing so twice across his first two', but no other independent source corroborates this specific historical pitch count statistic.

check_circle

Claim 7: “The Pirates ace threw just five innings — and just 65 pitches — before being yanked from the game in a 2-0 loss to the Marlins.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm Paul Skenes pitched five innings and threw 65 pitches in a 2-0 loss to the Marlins.

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “He yielded just two runs against Miami, striking out four, but did serve up a solo homer in the bottom of the third and an RBI single in the fifth.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While some sources confirm the general game outcome (2-0 loss, 5 innings, 4 strikeouts), the specific details about the solo homer in the 3rd and RBI single in the 5th are not explicitly corroborated by the provided evidence snippets, though the general line of 2 runs is mentioned.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 96th Major League Baseball All-Star Game played between the American League (AL) and the National League (NL) of Major League Baseball. The game wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Major_League_Baseball_All…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 New York Mets season is the 65th season of the New York Mets in Major League Baseball, their 18th at Citi Field, and their sixth under majority owner Steve Cohen. The Mets will attempt to imp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_New_York_Mets_season

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 9: “His last fastball registered at 95 mph on his 57th pitch of the game.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence mentions his top speed (96.5 mph) and average speed, but does not specifically mention the 57th pitch being 95 mph.

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 10: “One year ago, he fastball averaged 98.2 mph. This season it has dipped to 96.9 mph.”

CORROBORATED

One source explicitly states his average fastball velocity declined from 98.2 mph last season to roughly 96.9 mph this year.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.