Paul Skenes' stone-cold quote after decimating Yankees proves he's Opening Day ready

If anyone needed a reminder that Paul Skenes is as good a pitcher as MLB has today, he's done his best at doing so for the Pirates faithful in Grapefruit League play over the last few weeks.

After getting named as the National League starter in last season's All-Star Game,then capturing NL Rookie of the Year honors and finishing as a finalist for the NL Cy Young, Skenes has proved early in his career that no moment is too big for him.

However, this spring he's also showed that no moment is too small for him. He's seemed to pick up right where he left off, and looks as strong as ever in camp as he prepares for his first career Opening Day start.

After putting on a masterclass of a performance against the New York Yankees in his third start of spring training, where he threw four innings, surrendering just one run and striking out five, the Pirates' ace seemed filled with gratitude after the game.

"It's kind of a sobering thing to look in the stands and look up at the bullpen and have people watching me warm up...to play a practice game where I'm not worried about results," he told Hannah Mears of SportsNet Pittsburgh.

And with the fans showing such strong support behind, the atmosphere clearly brought on that competitive spirit we've become accustomed to seeing from Skenes, as he still managed to nit pick his performance despite the game having no stakes to it.

"Wish I didn't give up a run," he said to Mears, in reference to the solo shot Trent Grisham managed off of him in the fourth.

Fast forward a few days, and Skenes would end up following up that performance with yet another great outing on March 17 against the Minnesota Twins, tossing 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts.

These impressive showings in his most recent two starts have elevated his numbers to an even more respectable standard. Overall this spring, Skenes has pitched to the tune of a 3.07 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings of work.

The fact he's locked in with the mindset to attack hitters is a good sign. While it's hard to get much better than the sub-2.00 ERA season he had last year, statements like these after outings like that show his focus is constantly on improving. He's solidified in his pursuit to remain one of the league's most lethal starting arms and potentially add some new hardware to his trophy cabinet in 2025.

With the Pirates set to travel back to Pittsburgh next week, Skenes looks up to the tall task in front of him on March 27. He'll go toe-to-toe with the 2022 NL Cy Young award winner in Sandy Alcantara when the Miami Marlins come to town to open the 2025 campaign.