The lowly Pittsburgh Pirates visit the Mets in Flushing this week, and fans get a treat Monday night when Buccos ace Paul Skenes takes the mound.
This is why the game matters despite being an overall meaningless matchup. Skenes is, hands down, one of the best pitchers in baseball despite dealing with something of a sophomore slump in 2025. The Mets counter with their strong lineup and lefty David Peterson.
Pittsburgh isn’t a good scoring team, ranking second to last in MLB with just 28 team home runs. However, this is the first time Skenes and the splinker are truly pitching in New York after a simple one-inning outing versus the Yankees last season.