Paul Skenes finished 2025 with a 1.97 ERA, but after the 2026 opening game between the Pirates and Mets, Skenes currently stands with a 67.50 ERA! However, the blame could be more on the Pirates’ poor defensive show rather than Skenes’ botched pitching. With a few misplays in the outfield, Skenes took the hit hard, but fans are calling out the Pirates’ centerfielder for blowing up opportunities not once, but a few times.

“Oneil Cruz with two of the worst center field plays you’ll see in a big league game …in the first inning of the first game of the year,” Jomboy Media shared via X.

The Pirates’ defense was as bad as it could be, especially from their $3.3 million player, Oneil Cruz. He made two major misplays that helped the Mets to score 4 runs. In the first inning itself, a hit by Brett Baty off Skenes went deep into the center field. But Cruz misread it, then took a few steps in before the ball sailed over him to the fence. It resulted in a bases-clearing triple for the Mets.

On the very next play, he lost a flyball off Marcus Semien. What looked like an easy catch in center field, Cruz was blinded by the sun and stopped too far from the ball. It fell away from him and resulted in a double.

“It was really uncomfortable today to have the sun right in front of my face – I was trying my best, but it was tough,” Cruz said after the game.

The second misplay was due to the sun, but the first one? That pale look of Cruz standing blank after the misfield was the exact picture of how the Pirates performed.

Unfortunately, in both cases, Skenes was at the mound bearing the brunt. And it resulted in Skenes’ shortest show since his MLB debut in 2024 with just 0.2 innings.

However, it is also true that center field is not the staple for Cruz, as he was a shortstop. In 2024, he was shifted to the outfield, and in 2025, he struggled heavily. He finished last year with -14 DRS, the second-worst mark of any qualified center fielder in MLB. Yes, he has a high velocity throw and great speed, but it hasn’t transitioned to success.

So, despite Skenes trying to offer variety with fastballs and sliders, it didn’t help much, a fact that fans seemed to acknowledge in their support for the pitcher. Despite finishing the opening game with a 67.50 ERA, rather than getting upset with him, fans showed him sympathy. While calling out Cruz, fans are panicked about whether this would be just another reason for Skenes to think beyond the Pirates.

Fans come in support of Paul Skenes

Fans wonder if Paul Skenes would ever agree with Cruz being in center field.

“If I’m Skenes, I don’t pitch with him in center field again,” one fan said. Last year, Cruz also made a huge misplay in center field against the Rangers. As the Rangers’ Sam Haggerty hit a grounder to the center, Cruz tried to get it up, but it bounced off his glove and hit the wall. Result? A run was gifted to the Rangers.

So, with such repeated blunders, fans wonder if Skenes would now revolt against having Cruz in center field.

“That really shouldn’t be ERs for Skenes,” another fan added. “Those don’t count as errors but as earned runs against Skenes?!” One user agrees.

Fans argued that the runs, which were a direct result of misfielding, should not have been counted as earned runs against Skenes. But well, no matter misfield happens or not, runs do get counted with the pitcher. In contrast, when fielders take the catch, the pitcher also gets the benefit. However, in this case, the pitches were so good yet gave away runs, which is what made the fans upset over the skyrocketing ERA of Skenes.

Still, the error count for Cruz didn’t increase. Because in both cases, the ball didn’t drop from his hands. And with all these misplays, speculations around Paul Skenes’ stay with the Pirates took no time to regain traction.

“Skenes counting the days he has left in Pittsburgh,” one fan said. Last year, the Pirates front office was crystal clear about not trading Skenes. “The question gets asked, and it’s always respectful,” GM Ben Cherington said. “Teams have to ask the question, right? I suspect that won’t end. But the answer’s been consistent.”

So, Paul Skenes is not going anywhere until he hits free agency by 2029. Skenes pitches like a generational talent—winning a Cy Young with a 1.97 ERA—but plays for a team that historically refuses to invest in a winning roster. While GM Ben Cherington has been firm that Skenes isn’t going anywhere yet, the Opening Day disaster has made fans skeptical about him staying with the Pirates.

“It’s almost as if he’s playing the wrong position,” one user remarked about Cruz. Well, Cruz is from the infield, and so the center field job is just one full season old for him. However, in spring, the Pirates had Cruz practicing in the center. And fans wonder why it still looks like Cruz is a misfit in his position.

While the debate around the Pirates’ losing streak would go on, Skenes’ 2026 start was as horrible as it could get.