Paul Skenes wants Team USA to 'assert our dominance over everyone else' in WBC after seeing Olympic success

After seeing what the Americans did successful Milan during the Winter Olympics, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes is hoping Team USA tin proceed a ascendant inclination during the World Baseball Classic (WBC). 

Skenes is connected the roster for the WBC, which begins March 5, representing Team USA alongside immoderate of the champion successful the U.S. similar Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Tarik Skubal. 

Skenes was tapped successful with however good the U.S. performed successful the Milan Cortina Games, which saw a grounds 12 golden medals won, including some the men’s and women’s hockey teams implicit Canada successful overtime. 

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Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks connected during a outpouring grooming workout astatine Pirate City connected Feb. 12, 2026 successful Bradenton, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Skenes was asked astir the momentum the U.S. has close present starring into the WBC, and helium gave a beardown effect astir his expectations.  

"Yeah, men’s hockey, women’s hockey, each the golds that we won successful the Olympics," helium said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We’re America, we’ve got to asseverate our dominance implicit everyone else. That’s what we do.

"It’s gonna beryllium fun. If USA wins, it’s what we do. Gotta support it going."

Team USA’s roster volition beryllium interesting, though, aft seeing Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award victor from the Detroit Tigers, volition lone marque 1 commencement earlier returning to outpouring grooming with his team. 

Meanwhile, Skenes is expected to commencement aggregate times, but there’s a caveat – Team USA indispensable spell heavy successful the tourney earlier helium volition transportation again. 

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes (30) stands for the nationalist anthem earlier the crippled against the Chicago Cubs astatine PNC Park successful Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sept. 15, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)

Skenes told The Athletic his patriotic reasoning down wanting to play for Team USA. 

"We’re doing it to correspond the men and women that are warring for us, on with galore different things that marque this state the top state successful the world. That puts it into position a small bit," Skenes, who was reasoning astir a subject vocation portion playing for Air Force earlier transferring to LSU, told the outlet.

He added that seeing Judge, the reigning AL MVP, answering the telephone to play for the state besides adds to his tendency to assistance the U.S. travel distant victorious implicit planetary endowment similar Japan and the Dominican Republic. 

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the 2nd inning of a shot crippled against the Chicago Cubs successful Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.  (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

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Skenes is coming disconnected an NL Cy Young Award triumph for his fantastic 2025 performance, which included a 1.97 ERA implicit 32 starts with 216 strikeouts for the Pirates. 

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