The Pittsburgh Pirates fired Derek Shelton on the team’s off day on Thursday. They won Don Kelly’s first game as the interim manager, but Paul Skenes reacted to the news of Shelton’s firing before the game.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t shocked,” Skenes said, according to KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh. “At the end of the day, we’re (12-26), whatever it is. Someone’s gotta be held accountable. Unfortunately, right now, it’s him.”
The Pirates are last in the National League Central and have not made the postseason since 2015, when they lost in the National League Wild Card. Shelton had been the team’s manager since 2020.
He has a 306-440 record since taking over for the Pirates. The Pirates are trying to capitalize on their time with players like Skenes and Oneil Cruz before they hit free agency and potentially leave for bigger markets. Firing Shelton is not going to make them contenders overnight, but it could at least give them a fighting chance to make the postseason.
As for Skenes, who played his final college season at Louisiana State University, he is not accustomed to losing this much. His team at LSU lost just 17 games en route to their National Championship. Skenes debuted last season and was nothing short of spectacular.
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He had a 1.96 ERA, won National League Rookie of the Year, finished third in Cy Young Award voting, was an All-Star and received MVP Award votes. This season he has a 2.77 ERA and 47 strikeouts. He looks like he is going to be a dominant pitcher for years to come, but the Pirates have yet to show they can be a postseason team with him.
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