New Headline: J.D. Martinez Slams Inaugural Pinstripe Glove for Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes will make one of the biggest starts of his life tonight in the World Baseball Classic semifinal game between Team USA and the Dominican Republic at LoanDepot Park in Miami. The DR boasts a fearsome lineup led by Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and other star sluggers.
Collectively, they’re batting . 312/. 453/.
637 with a tournament-leading 51 runs, so they’re swinging hot bats. Is Skenes nervous to face such an impressive collection of sluggers with a trip to the finals on the line? Of course not.
“I couldn’t care less who I pitch against,” Skenes said in a media session earlier this week. Paul Skenes “couldn’t care less” who he pitches against — which makes him the perfect man to take the hill tonight, against perhaps the greatest lineup ever assembled. My column: https://t.
co/UhWlCbN5oF — Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) March 15, 2026 And why should he? Skenes has already started two MLB All-Star Games and thrown a scoreless inning both times, so he’s handled similar lineups before. The reigning NL Cy Young winner has also dominated DR’s starters in the past.