Paul Skenes’ quick exit in Opening Day disaster is another Pirates gut-punch
“It’s the hope that kills you”
Pittsburgh Pirates fans felt something different on Opening Day as Paul Skenes walked to the mound for the bottom of the first inning against the New York Mets. Hope. After the Pirates scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning on Thursday, Pirates fans likely felt they could believe again, with their team’s ace walking to the mound to face the revamped Mets lineup.
After just two outs, and five earned runs, that hope was gone along with Skenes from the game. The Mets knocked Skenes around in the bottom of the first inning, putting five runs on the board and sending the Pittsburgh ace to the showers early. The inning began innocently enough, with a walk to Francisco Lindor and then a single from Juan Soto that sent the Mets infielder to third.
That’s when Bo Bichette, one of the new members of the Mets, lifted a fly ball to right: Bo Bichette drives in the first run of the season 👏 pic. twitter. com/6nr7jR5AjV — New York Mets (@Mets) March 26, 2026 The sacrifice fly brought one run home, cutting Pittsburgh’s lead in half.
But the Mets were just getting started. An infield single followed by a walk loaded the bases for Brett Baty, who lofted a fly ball to deep center field. There was just one problem, however: Center fielder Oneil Cruz started in as the ball came off the bat, breaking a cardinal rule of outfield play.