Paul Skenes announces on-air he will play for Team USA | MLB Central

Pirates superstar Paul Skenes joins MLB Central in Studio 21 to announce that he intends on playing for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

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Once Aaron was taken care of, my dad always said to me, the game begins and ends on the mount and I’m sitting there and I’m like, I’m making one phone call, right? Who’s the first phone call I’m making? I’m, I’m going big game hunting and I think we got the guy that’s, I mean, we’re gonna hand the ball to him hopefully in the championship game and we’re gonna hand the ball to hopefully in whatever game he wants from the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is game changing people. Congratulations, man. This is no excuses out there. United States of America. No, II, I, it couldn’t be more. Judge is Captain America. This is the winter soldier. I just wanna tell you when I called him, he screened my phone call, which I knew he would never talked before. And I left, I, I left a message right. And he called me right back and , and II, I said to him, I said , Paul, I’m gonna try and build the dream team. And if I’m building the dream team, you’re in the starting rotation and your words were, I’m in and it was no hes it kind of took you know, there, there’s usually a lot of selling that goes in this but with your military background, everything , I mean, why, why is this so, or why was it so important for you? No brainer. Yeah. I mean, yeah, when you, when we talk it almost felt like I was selling you on it. Uh, no. Um, yeah, I mean, it’s, it’s, it’s important obviously. I mean, when I was coming through high school, the thing that I thought I was going to be doing right now was flying jets rather than playing, you know, in, in major league baseball stadiums against the best of the best. So, um I’ve gotten the chance to wear usa across my chest a couple of times, got to wear it in a couple different, you know , fashions, um obviously in, in camo and obviously in um in the baseball uniform. And this is one thing as a fan of the game, watching the previous world baseball classics that I was like, if I ever get the chance to do this, I’m never saying no. So this is gonna be the first one. Hopefully, these are some images of your previous experience with uh with the United States across your uniform here. What do you recall about these moments here? Yeah, that was uh that was in Amsterdam, I think. Um but the biggest thing I recall is is that we didn’t win gold. So um that’s the, that’s the goal this time this was during college, the, yeah, both in, in college. But you also have experience with team USA as part of a 12 year. Yeah. So I went to Mexico, the team U A was the only time that I’ve ever been overseas. So went to Mexico when I was 12 and Amsterdam after my sophomore year at college and um didn’t win gold either time. But how about this? Yeah, there it is back when I, when I hit. So, so take me from air force to LSU. Did you just get to a point where you’re like, ok, I’m gonna put Jets flying Jets on hold and , and representing my country on hold. We got something special going on. Yeah, I think there’s a point there, there was a point that I got to, um, during my sophomore year of college where it was like, um, basically, you know, you see, you see people enlist, you see people, um, you know, become an officer and all that in the military when they’re 3040 you know, years old. Um, so you can kind of do that at a, at a different point in your life. Baseball. You don’t see guys, uh, signing and that a leagues when, when you’re 3040 years old. So, um, I had one shot to do it. You know, the thing that, that blows me a first off, I’m so honored and humbled that you, you agreed to, to be a part of the team, but the way you attacked it when I called you on the phone, putting usa across your chest and, and, and I’m telling you MP, if we can talk about it because we played in it when you get in that room and you put that jersey on, man, something comes over you and it’s different. And II I can’t begin to tell you , like, not only how proud I am to, to get a chance to manage it and you’re gonna get to work with Andy Pettitte and do your thing, but to, to do it with USA across your, it’s, it’s just different. It’s absolutely different when you’re talking about the best players in the world and when you’re talking about the team that Dominican is gonna run out the, the Japanese and Souls was here yesterday. He goes, we’re not going anywhere, we’ll see, you know, we’re coming, here’s, here’s what I’ll say to you. I know you started the All Star game, went to the All Star game was part for me with team USA was the workouts, was getting ready for the tournament. Is going to, to the field with an All Star team every day. The America’s best. And you’re, I learned so much, me and al just went through what I learned from Clemens and, and those guys but, but Jeter and, and, and from a position player standpoint, it’s a no brainer to do this. But like one of the things he said to me that really resonated with me. I is he, he’s like, if you need me to help recruit, I know what you say. I know I’m a 22 year old and just got to the big leagues. But if you need me to push somebody over the edge, pitching staff wise, like, what would you tell him, Paul if you had the opportunity to talk to a fellow big leaguer about taking part in this opportunity? What would you tell him? Yeah, I mean, I’m not a, I’m not a very good recruiter, very good salesman, but I think the, the biggest thing is, uh, wearing USA is it’s unlike anything else. Um, and to do it on, you know, this stage, the, the World Baseball Classic, there’s no bigger stage, uh, to do it. So, um, who knows? You only, you may only have one opportunity to do it. So, why not? What was your recruiting pitch? Come on and be my stablemate, stablemates with the best. When, when you watch the last World baseball Classic USA against Japan Trout versus Otani in the Gold or in the championship game, what did you think when you were watching it at home? Yeah, that was back when I was an Angels fan. So it was a pretty cool, pretty cool moment, um, to watch the, it come down to those guys. Um, and again, I mean, again, it’s, it’s the biggest moment in , in baseball I think, and, um, you know, to really just like if I have ever had the opportunity to do this, I’m going to, are we gonna attack Otani? You know, you faced Otani last year? Got him Then he got you. How was that match up? It’s cool. A little bit surreal. Um, but, uh, yeah, I mean, you, you kind of have to put that on the back burner a little bit and , and, uh, hunker down and get out. That’s right. I know that the guys in the, in our next segment gonna break down. You pitched very well yesterday against the Mets. The Mets are a very good ball club. What were your, your overall impressions facing that lineup for the first time this year? Yeah, they’re deep. Um, saw them last year a couple of times. Obviously, they got a little bit better this year. Um They’re a good ball club. You can’t, you can’t really get away with too many mistakes. Like you said that deep lineup when you talk about Alvarez and some of those guys down there hiding in the bottom.