Pittsburgh Pirates superstar pitcher Paul Skenes is known to be a man of few words. While he stuck to that mantra on Friday discussing the firing of his former manager, Derek Shelton, he didn’t exactly mince them, either.
“Unfortunately I wasn’t shocked,” Skenes said when asked about Shelton’s firing, which occurred Thursday during the team’s day off. “At the end of the day, I mean, we’re 12-26. Someone’s gotta be hold accountable.
“Unfortunately, right now, it’s him. That’s just kind of how it goes.”
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The Pirates entered Friday with a record of 12-26, only better than the Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies.
Since Shelton took over in 2020, the Pirates have endured five straight losing seasons, having gone just 306-440. They finished the 2023 and 2024 seasons with identical 76-86 records.
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It was clear something needed to change, and Shelton was the man to fall on the sword. Whether that fixes the team’s issues amid their brutal first month-plus of the season remains to be seen. Skenes isn’t exactly convinced.
“I don’t know that it fixes the root of the issue which is that we need to play better,” Skenes said. “That’s been the messaging today, that’s been the messaging for a little bit now. And we still gotta do that.”
Luke Hales/Getty Images
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