The Pittsburgh Pirates may be far down the NL Central standings with a 21-36 record, but their brightest star is shining on the mound. Paul Skenes, in just his second MLB season, delivered another brilliant performance Wednesday afternoon against the Arizona Diamondbacks, firing 6.2 shutout innings in a 10-1 Pittsburgh win.

Despite a 4-5 record this year, Skenes’ ERA sits at 2.15 and his command remains elite. Across 75.1 innings in 2025, the right-hander has struck out 77 while posting a WHIP of just 0.92. That dominant stat line puts him among baseball’s best, even if the win-loss column doesn’t reflect it due to inconsistent run support.

In fact, Skenes now holds a remarkable 2.03 career ERA across 35 starts. Pirates broadcaster Joe Block highlighted the stat on X, formerly Twitter, citing Stathead to underscore just how dominant the right-hander has been.

“Lowest ERA, games pitched as a 22-year-old: 2.011 – Babe Ruth, 1917; 2.012 – Paul Skenes, 2024–25 (min. 25 starts).”

Skenes is closing in on Ruth’s 1917 mark — an absurdly impressive comparison made even more remarkable given today’s reliance on bullpens and strict pitch counts.

Codify Baseball added more perspective on the dominance of the Pirates' young ace on X (formerly Twitter) as well.

“Paul Skenes: 35 MLB starts, 47 total earned runs.”

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SportsNet Pittsburgh also praised his latest gem on the social media platform acknowledging the stellar outing.

“6.2 scoreless innings from Skenes.”

While the Pirates offense has been inconsistent behind him, Wednesday brought a rare surge. Oneil Cruz crushed a home run and Isiah Kiner-Falefa collected three base hits, leading a balanced attack that pushed the Pirates to a double-digit scoring afternoon. The win improved the team’s record to 21-36, still last in the NL Central, but clearly more competitive with their ace on the mound.

Skenes continues to dominate in his second MLB season, inching closer to Ruth’s historic ERA benchmark and cementing himself as one of baseball’s premier young arms.