Pittsburgh Pirates fans have endured six straight losing seasons, haven't witnessed Pirates' postseason baseball since 2015, and haven't seen a Pirates' World Series victory since 1979.
And ace pitcher Paul Skenes believes they deserve better.
When asked by MLB.com's Alex Stumpf if he carries the burden of better expectations as the face of the franchise, Skenes delivered a memorable answer that will be music to the ears of Pirates fans who long for better play.
"I think we owe something to the city," Skenes said. “We owe a lot to the city. It’s our job to go out and win for the city because this is bigger than all of us. There’s a reason why [veteran Andrew McCutchen] Cutch keeps coming back, and specifically to Pittsburgh.
"There’s something about this city. We saw it last summer. We’ve seen it in the videos of the Wild Card Game. I’m tired of watching them because it was a Wild Card Series. The bar needs to be set pretty high. Not taking anything from those guys.
"The fact that that’s a golden era of recent Pirates baseball, that needs to change. We owe it to the city."
Skenes gives Pirates fans hope that better days are coming—and not just because of his potentially franchise-changing attitude. Skenes, who won the '24 National League Rookie of the Year award after authoring one of the most dominant seasons by a first-year pitcher in MLB history, also just so happens to be a franchise-changing player.
Additionally, the Pirates have an All-Star caliber veteran in outfielder Bryan Reynolds, a physically-gifted—and perhaps future All-Star—in 26-year-old Oneil Cruz, and a farm system with promising young bats and arms that MLB.com ranked among baseball's top-15 this spring.
Pittsburgh opens the '25 season with Skenes on the mound against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paul Skenes Gives Quote That Will Have Pittsburgh Loyalists Fired Up for Pirates '25.
