Paul Skenes wants Team USA to ‘assert our dominance over everyone else’ at WBC after seeing Olympic success
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After seeing what the Americans did in Milan during the Winter Olympics, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes hopes Team USA can continue its dominance during the World Baseball Classic (WBC).
Skenes is on the WBC roster, which begins March 5, representing Team USA alongside some of the USA’s best, including Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Tarik Skubal.
Skenes knows how well the United States performed at the Cortina Games in Milan, during which it won a record 12 gold medals, including gold medals for the men’s and women’s hockey teams over Canada in overtime.
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Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates during spring training at Pirate City on February 12, 2026, in Bradenton, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Skenes was asked about the momentum the United States has right now heading into the WBC.
“Yeah, men’s hockey, women’s hockey, all the golds we won at the Olympics,” he said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We are America. We have to assert our dominance over everyone else. That’s what we do.
“It’s going to be fun. If the United States wins, that’s what we’ll do. We have to keep it up.”
Team USA’s roster will be interesting, however, because Skubal, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner from the Detroit Tigers, will only make one start before returning to spring training with his team.
Skenes is expected to start multiple times, but there is a caveat. Team USA needs to dig deeper into the tournament before pitching again.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes stands for the national anthem before a game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on September 15, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Image Images)
Skenes explained to The Athletic why he wanted to play for Team USA.
“We’re doing it to represent the men and women who fight for us, along with a lot of other things that make this country the best country in the world. That puts it into perspective a little bit,” Skenes, who was considering a military career while playing for the Air Force before transferring to LSU, told the outlet.
He added that seeing Judge, the reigning American League MVP, answer the call to play for the country also increases his desire to help the United States emerge victorious over international talents like Japan and the Dominican Republic.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes pitches during the second inning against the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh on September 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
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Skenes is coming off a 2025 National League Cy Young Award win, which included a 1.97 ERA in 32 starts with 216 strikeouts for the Pirates.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for News Digital.