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Pirates ace Paul Skenes shelled in ‘frustrating’ Opening Day start against the Mets

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NEW YORK — Paul Skenes stared out toward the mound from the third-base dugout, motionless. Only his fingers moved, scratching beneath his dark, full beard. This was unfamiliar territory.

Thursday was supposed to be his day. Another step in a rise that already included a Cy Young award in 2025 and a World Baseball Classic that pushed him onto an international stage, flexing as the best in the world. He’s the easy favorite to repeat as Cy Young winner this year.

Instead, on Opening Day at Citi Field against the Mets, Skenes failed to get out of the first, yielding five earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning. It matched the most runs he’s allowed in a start and marked the shortest outing of his career. He allowed more runs Thursday than he did in the first inning of all 32 starts combined last year.

“They did a really good job in the moment,” Skenes said after his club’s 11-7 loss. “I don’t know, maybe a little frustrating, but I just got to execute. But they did a good job.”

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It wasn’t all on Skenes. Center fielder Oneil Cruz misread a Brett Baty line drive, breaking in before it carried over his head. Three runs scored on a bases-clearing triple. Then, on the very next play, Cruz lost a Marcus Semien fly ball in the sun, making it a 5-2 game.

Even so, Skenes didn’t have his best stuff. He lacked command of his seven-pitch mix, walking two and hitting a batter in the nine plate appearances he made it through. He had little feel for his breaking pitches. When he got ahead, he couldn’t put hitters away. The Mets, one of the best lineups in baseball, wouldn’t give in. Wouldn’t chase his mistakes. Seven of the first eight batters reached base.

After 37 pitches in the inning, in the unseasonable warmth of Flushing, manager Don Kelly made the call to remove his ace.

“Paul is a competitor,” Kelly said after the game. “He wants to stay out there and pitch. It’s a really tough thing going to get him in the first inning right there. But at the bottom of it is Paul’s health. When you get up close to 40 pitches in an inning, you’re into dangerous territory with a starting pitcher.”

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The physical danger is one thing. The box score is another: when Skenes isn’t stellar, the Pirates don’t have a chance. Often, even when he is stellar, they still find ways to spoil his starts with a lack of run support.

For all the supposed growth of the Pirates, adding Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn as veterans to the mix, too much of the belief still runs through Skenes. He’s not just their anchor. Not just their stability. He’s their credibility. Their relevance. He’s the reason the most optimistic people in Pittsburgh — and inside that clubhouse — can cling to the idea that this team has a path to the playoffs.

“Paul means a ton to Pittsburgh,” added Kelly. “I mean, he embodies it every single day that he shows up. We talked about a lot too. It’s the days in between his starts that really separate him and make him great. And he lives it out every single day.”

Yet baseball has a way of making even the giants look human, like it did Thursday. 

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You felt it when Kelly walked to the mound. You felt it when the collective gasp from the Citi Field crowd cut through the moment, louder than some of the cheers. Because this wasn’t supposed to happen. As much as Mets fans came to see their team, there was something else, too. They came to see the best in the world.

He was supposed to last longer than this. Instead, it unraveled.

“It’s nice to get it out the way,” Skenes said with a smirk.

This is the burden that comes with greatness. He has lived up to every bit of the hype. The learning curve that usually comes with the big leagues never touched him.

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“He’s can’t-miss TV,” said teammate and fellow starter Mitch Keller. “I want to be locked in for everything. He’s so special. You just never know when you’re watching this type of talent. You’re locked in and always watching.”

Thursday offered nothing to lock in on.

Inside the clubhouse, Skenes draped himself in a blue towel. The outing was over. There’s no reason to dwell. Not when you’ve established yourself as the most prominent starter in baseball. Not when it’s only your first start of the season.

“Just got to look at it, kind of pitch by pitch,” he said. “I’ll rewatch it at some point, but I’m not as upset about this, for me personally, as people would probably think.”

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You can question the Pirates.

But you can’t question Skenes. 

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Flyers keep playoff hopes alive, thump Blackhawks

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NHL: Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia FlyersMar 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier (14) reacts after scoring a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates and Alex Bump each registered a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 on Thursday evening.

Samuel Ersson made 25 saves for Philadelphia (35-24-12, 82 points), which has won six of its last eight games to make some late noise in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Denver Barkey and Sean Couturier also scored for the Flyers.

Chicago (27-32-13, 67 points) remains well out of postseason contention following its fifth loss in seven games. Connor Bedard scored the only goal for the Blackhawks, while Spencer Knight did his best to combat a furious Flyers offensive performance with 37 saves.

Philadelphia scored twice in the first three minutes, beginning with Bump’s third career goal. Less than a minute after the opening faceoff, Knight turned over the puck behind the net to Dvorak, who promptly fed Bump in front for a wide-open tally.

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Just over a minute and a half later, another Chicago turnover — this time by Andre Burakovsky — led to Couturier’s ninth of the season. The Blackhawks winger passed the puck right to Luke Glendening, who sent a puck to the net that Couturier redirected for a 2-0 lead.

Barkey deposited a rebound past Knight 5:14 into the second period to make it 3-0.

Midway through the middle stanza, Bedard scored his 30th goal of the season to cut into the Blackhawks’ deficit. However, the Flyers added two more goals before the period ended.

First, Matvei Michkov’s blind pass unleashed Cates on a breakaway that ended with a backhander over a sprawling Knight. Then, in the final minute, Dvorak redirected a terrific pass from Owen Tippett into the net for a 5-1 cushion.

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Neither team scored in the final period as the Flyers swept the two-game season series with the Blackhawks by a combined 8-2 margin.

–Field Level Media

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Berry targets 2026 Sydney Cup success aboard Soul Of Spain

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Tommy Berry has voiced his strong interest in riding the upwardly mobile stayer Soul Of Spain in the Sydney Cup, actively seeking the partnership and committing long-term through the autumn series.

This decision is paying dividends already, with the Chris Waller-conditioned gelding even-money favourite alongside others for April’s two-mile prize, and presenting a viable upset possibility in Saturday’s elite weight-for-age Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill.

The previous Irish raider emerged prominently in spring via successive confidence-building wins in Queensland, followed by a win in the Newcastle Cup (2300m) and second spot in the Metropolitan (2400m).

He has turned heads with powerful late surges at his latest two starts, placing sixth to champion Autumn Glow second-up in February’s Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m), then runner-up to Vauban alone in the March 14 Sky High Stakes (2000m).

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Berry remains excited by the gelding’s displays and indicates the Tancred Stakes weights could be challenging, yet the rise to 2400m will favour Soul Of Spain en route to richer targets.

“Obviously, the step up to 2400 metres is going to suit on the way to a Sydney Cup . . . although, he’s got to meet some pretty handy horses at around the same weight,” Berry said.

“Last ‘prep’ he was doing things on raw ability when he was coming through the grades, but he is a lot more seasoned.

“Chris Waller got to travel him a little bit last preparation, up in Queensland and back to Sydney, and usually that’s very good for stayers. He has come back a more professional racehorse, and he’s got a really good turn of speed.”

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A Tancred Stakes triumph would be gratifying according to Berry, but he deems the fixture ideal seasoning for Soul Of Spain’s Sydney Cup campaign, as the five-year-old benefits from dropping to 53.5kg from 59kg in the weight-for-age race on Saturday for the handicap.

“He’s ready to take the next step and Chris always uses a method getting to his grand finals, and the race on Saturday is one he’s used previously to get his better horses to a Sydney Cup,” he said.

Discover betting sites with the best racing odds for the Sydney Cup.

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MJF to face 2-time WWE World Champion after huge meltdown on social media

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One of AEW’s top stars, MJF, took aim at a former WWE World Champion on social media recently after the latter critiqued his performance on Dynamite. Now, the self-proclaimed generational talent is officially scheduled to face off with the talent in question, Nic Nemeth (fka Dolph Ziggler).

For some time now, seeds were being planted for a potential showdown between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Nic Nemeth, especially after The Wolf of Wrestling issued a public challenge to the “Most Wanted Man” to lock horns with him in an AEW World Title match this past January. Following on the heels of Wednesday Night Dynamite this week, the erstwhile Dolph Ziggler offered some words of criticism to Friedman while appearing on Busted Open. This prompted MJF to explosively lash out at the ex-WWE superstar, going so far as to call the latter an “overhyped” mid-carder.

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It appears that a showdown between the AEW Men’s World Champion and the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is finally set to take place. The matchup will go down at Create A Pro Monumental Moment on May 1, at Melville, New York.

“. @Myers_Wrestling just hit me up and said this clowns down to throw hands. See ya there Nicky.” – posted MJF on X/Twitter.

This will seemingly be the first-ever in-ring singles encounter between MJF and the “Show-Off”.

MJF has a massive AEW title match scheduled for next month

Maxwell Jacob Friedman survived one of the biggest threats to his current World Title reign earlier this month at Revolution 2026, where he managed to retain his belt against Hangman Page in a Texas Death Match, and managed to lock him out of the World Championship picture as per the challenger’s own stipulation.

As he was celebrating his victory over The Cowboy this week on AEW Dynamite, The Salt of The Earth was interrupted and confronted by Kenny Omega, who earlier that night had become the new #1 contender for the “Triple B” by beating Swerve Strickland. The two stars exchanged words, leading to a World Title match between them being scheduled for Dynasty 2026.

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Match graphic for Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Kenny Omega at Dynasty (Image via X @WrestlePurists)Match graphic for Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Kenny Omega at Dynasty (Image via X @WrestlePurists)
Match graphic for Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Kenny Omega at Dynasty (Image via X @WrestlePurists)

It remains to be seen whether the so-called “God of Pro-Wrestling” will be able to dethrone The Devil this coming month.