Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Team USA gets a certified ace for '26 Classic

Tuesday, May 13

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One of the best pitchers on the planet is going to be representing his country in next year's World Baseball Classic.

Pirates stud Paul Skenes announced this morning on MLB Network that he will be participating in the 2026 WBC for the United States, where he will likely be near -- or at -- the front of the rotation.

When Team USA manager Mark DeRosa recently phoned Skenes to gauge his interest in joining the squad, the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year said there was no hesitation -- he was all-in.

"I think the biggest thing is wearing USA, it's unlike anything else," Skenes said during Tuesday's episode of MLB Central. "This is one thing as a fan of the game, watching the previous World Baseball Classics, that I was like, 'If I ever get the chance to do this, I'm never saying no.' So this is going to be the first one."

Skenes' love of country is well known. He began his collegiate baseball journey at the Air Force Academy before transferring to LSU and becoming the best pitcher in the amateur ranks. He is now working with the Gary Sinise Foundation to help veterans, first responders and their families.

"When I was coming through high school," Skenes said, "the thing that I thought I was going to be doing right now was flying jets rather than playing in Major League Baseball stadiums against the best of the best."

Skenes has worn USA across his chest on the diamond before. He was a member of the 12U National Team in 2014 and then a member of the Collegiate National Team in 2021 and '22.

But representing the United States in the World Baseball Classic is different. That's a message he will try to convey to other players with the hope that they will join him on the journey to contend for a WBC title.

Skenes will help anchor an American team that is looking to rebound after finishing runner-up to Japan in 2023. That tournament ended on one of the most indelible moments in recent baseball history: Then-Angels teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout faced off with the championship on the line. Ohtani struck out Trout in a legendary showdown to clinch the title for Team Japan.

Skenes remembers watching that game, which took place just a few months before the Pirates made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.

"It was a pretty cool moment to watch it come down to those guys," he said. "And again, it's the biggest moment in baseball."

Team USA won the tournament in 2017, when Skenes' teammate Andrew McCutchen was one of the title club's outfield anchors. To date, that 2017 win was the only time the United States took gold.

Team USA will be part of Pool B in the 2026 WBC, and its first round of games will be played in Houston from March 6-11, 2026. Full rosters have not yet been announced, but Yankees superstar Aaron Judge was named captain of Team USA last month.

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (Team Puerto Rico) and Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (Team Italy) have also confirmed that they will compete in next year's WBC. Team Dominican Republic will be managed by three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols.

-- Alex Stumpf and Brian Murphy

GAMES OF THE NIGHT

Royals @ Astros (8:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): Bobby Witt Jr. seems to pick up a hit or three every night, but Framber Valdez, tonight's Astros starter, has held last year's AL MVP runner-up to two hits in 16 career meetings. Whatever Witt can contribute may be enough for under-the-radar Royals lefty Kris Bubic, who hasn't allowed an earned run in five of his eight starts this year.
D-backs @ Giants (9:45 p.m. ET, MLB.TV): Top D-backs prospect Jordan Lawlar, called up before yesterday's win, may be in line for his season debut in the middle game at Oracle Park, but whether he plays or not, we could see another pitchers' duel. Arizona's Brandon Pfaadt leads the Majors with six wins, but just behind him with five is Robbie Ray, who has allowed more than three runs in a start just once this year.
Louisville Bats (CIN) @ Indianapolis Indians (PIT) (6:35 p.m. ET, FREE on MLB.com): Pirates farmhand Bubba Chandler, newly anointed the best pitching prospect in the Minors, makes his eighth start for Triple-A Indianapolis in a game you can watch free right here.

I WAS SAYING BOO-REGMAN

Tigers fans have two nights left to boo Alex Bregman

After their club narrowly missed out on signing Alex Bregman in the offseason, Tigers fans may have circled May 12-14 on the calendar, embracing a chance to show Bregman and the Red Sox what he's missing. The AL-best Tigers and their fans did plenty of that in last night's opener, rolling to a 14-2 win throughout which Bregman heard hearty boos from the Comerica Park faithful. Jason Beck breaks down the scene, with quotes from Bregman as well as Tigers skipper A.J. Hinch, who managed the two-time World Series champ in Houston.

SUPERSTAR RISING

Ronald Acuña Jr. is playing a baseball game tonight. A little less than a year after tearing the ACL in his left knee, the superstar outfielder will begin a rehab assignment with the Braves' Florida Complex League affiliate against the FCL Orioles at 6:05 p.m. ET at CoolToday Park. Position players can spend a maximum of 20 games on a rehab assignment, meaning the 2023 NL MVP could be back in a Braves uniform where he belongs before the end of the month. If all goes to plan, he should be fully in the groove by mid-June for his first MLB matchup against his brother, star Mets rookie Luisangel Acuña; the rivals play each other seven times in a 10-day span from June 17-26.

STYLE GUIDE

Split image of Bryce Harper before and after cutting his hair

If it feels like we've been talking about Bryce Harper's hair forever, that's because we have. After rotating through a variety of styles early in his career, Harper has actually had a relatively long run of coiffure consistency, rocking the same long, shampoo commercial-ready locks since 2023. But the face of the Phillies franchise had a new look last night, shearing off the shag in favor of a no-nonsense, close-cropped cut. There's a decent chance the trim had something to do with Harper trying to shake a slump that has him hitting .189 with two homers since April 21. But we've all been there: Maybe he just wanted a haircut.

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