Paul Skenes, 50 Starts In: A Historic Pace That’s Only Trailed by Vida Blue

PITTSBURGH — Fifty starts into his big-league life, Paul Skenes isn’t merely living up to the hype — he’s carving his name into a part of the record book where almost nobody gets in. After seven scoreless innings in Sunday’s 4–0 win over the Rockies, the Pirates’ ace sits at a 2.02 career ERA, the second-lowest through a pitcher’s first 50 starts in the Live Ball Era (since 1920). Only Hall of Famer Vida Blue (2.01) has been better at that checkpoint.

The benchmark came with Skenes at his most Skenesian: 101 pitches, seven strikeouts, no walks, three hits — and almost no drama. It was his 11th start without an earned run, the latest entry in a two-season run that continues to blur the line between prodigy and prototype.

The company he keeps

Zoom out, and the leaderboard underscores how rare this is:

• Vida Blue — 2.01 ERA (1969–72)

• Paul Skenes — 2.02 ERA (2024–25)

• Howie Pollet, Orel Hershiser, Jerry Koosman — 2.15 (ties)

That’s it. That’s the list for the modern era through 50 starts. It’s been decades since anyone sniffed these numbers.

Dominance on modern terms

Skenes’s path to the milestone reflects the realities of 2020s pitching — tighter workloads, shorter leashes — which is part of what makes the production pop. He’s allowed 66 earned runs in 287 career innings heading into his 50th, and he’s doing it with the league’s attention fixed on the blur of a fastball and the showpiece “splinker” that’s become his calling card. Even with fewer innings per start than old-school aces, the efficiency and run prevention put him on a statistical island.

This year’s line tells a similar story. Skenes has a 2.07 ERA with 181 strikeouts in 161 innings, a rate profile that pairs power with command. Strip away the Pirates’ inconsistent run support — his 8–9 record is a mirage — and the Cy Young case writes itself.

A milestone day, a familiar script

That the 50th arrived with a sweep-clinching shutout felt fitting. The Rockies managed a lone extra-base hit and little else as Skenes moved the ball wherever he wanted. The PNC Park ovation as he walked off underscored how quickly the relationship between star and city has formed: the ex–No. 1 overall pick as a new face of the franchise, dragging a rebuilding club toward relevance every fifth day.

What’s next — and what’s at stake

History says pitchers who sit in this neighborhood at 50 starts typically stay for a while. Hershiser won a Cy Young and authored 59 straight scoreless innings. Koosman anchored a Mets title staff. Blue won an MVP. None of those comps fit perfectly — Skenes is his own blueprint — but the arc is clear: when you’re here this early, hardware and October follow. The twist is contextual: doing it in an era of max-effort, data-rich lineups only sharpens the edge of the accomplishment.

Skenes has even forced a fun awards question: can a pitcher with a losing record win the Cy Young in 2025? Conventional voters typically blanch, but context matters. The peripherals, the run prevention, the dominance against elite bats — they all argue louder than the win–loss column ever could. Some around the game already see him as the favorite in spite of that ledger.