Mets collapse gave Paul Skenes his first Pirates 'playoff' game and he dominated

The Pittsburgh Pirates were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention earlier this month. Realistically, they were never really in playoff contention to begin with. But that didn't stop them from playing spoiler to their National League Central rivals on Wednesday.

The Cincinnati Reds had a chance to move back into a tie for the final NL Wild Card spot with a win on Wednesday after the New York Mets' loss to the Chicago Cubs. They got fans' hopes up with a late rally that sent the game to extra innings, but the Pirates came away with the 4-3 win in the 11th to leave Cincinnati one game back of the Mets – with time quickly running out.

The Reds' Wild Card chase created a playoff-like atmosphere in Cincinnati on Wednesday. Unfortunately, however, they ran into NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes – who looked like he was the one pitching for a playoff contender.

Paul Skenes all but guaranteed NL Cy Young Award after playoff-like performance in final Pirates start of 2025

Skenes made a closing statement on his NL Cy Young case, tossing six shutout innings against the Reds in his final start of the season. He finished the season with a league-best 1.97 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.

Skenes became the first qualified pitcher with an ERA under 2.00 since Justin Verlander accomplished the feat with the Houston Astros in 2022. He’s also the youngest pitcher to achieve the stat since 20-year-old Dwight Gooden pitched to a 1.53 ERA in 1985.

Unfortunately, Wednesday's game went like too many others that Skenes started this season. He left the mound after throwing 85 pitches (57 strikes), in line for his 11th win of the season, but the Pirates' bullpen blew the save in the ninth inning to give Skenes a no-decision.

Skenes is only in his first full season, and he's already rewriting baseball's record books. But the fact that he has a 10-10 record despite having baseball's best ERA illustrates why he deserves better than Bob Nutting and Ben Cherington's Pirates.

Wednesday's game was a painful reminder of what high-stakes baseball looks like and how amazing it would be to watch Skenes pitch in a game that actually matters for the Pirates. Unfortunately, it was also a reminder of how much the Pirates have regressed in year six of a rebuild – and how criminal it is that they are wasting prime years of one of the best pitchers baseball has ever seen.