Pirates' Paul Skenes to represent Team USA at 2026 World Baseball Classic
Pittsburgh Pirates superstar pitcher Paul Skenes will represent Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, it was announced on Tuesday.
"When I was coming through high school, the thing that I thought I was going to be doing was flying jets, rather than playing in Major League Baseball stadiums against the best of the best," Skenes said in an appearance on MLB Network's "MLB Central."
"I've gotten the chance to wear USA across my chest a couple of times, [and] this is one thing, as a fan of the game, watching the previous World Baseball Classics, I was like, 'If I ever get the chance to do this, I'm never saying no.'"
Skenes, the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year, previously pitched for Team USA as part of the 12U National Team in 2014 and the Collegiate National Team in 2021 and 2022.
Skenes began his collegiate baseball career at the Air Force Academy and is now working with the Gary Sinise Foundation to help veterans and their families.
Team USA will be part of Pool B in the 2026 tournament, and its first round of games will be played from March 6-11 in Houston, Texas.
What is the World Baseball Classic?
The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament launched in 2006 that features national teams and top professional players from major league baseball organizations.
The tournament also acts as a vessel to further promote the game around the globe.
