Skenes pitches with poise through pressure in WBC spotlight, treats it same as Pirates outings

MIAMI (AP) — Paul Skenes pitched with poise through pressure, dispatching a series of stars on a night of great stakes in a sold-out stadium with millions watching on TV.

This was the type of game he never sees with the Pittsburgh Pirates and he may not experience on a regular basis until 2030.

Skenes dominated the Dominican Republic's lineup of All-Stars for 4 1/3 innings in the America's 2-1 semifinal victory Sunday night, allowing his only run when Junior Caminero hit a go-ahead home run in the second on a 1-2 sweeper at the top of the strike zone.

“The D.R. is the toughest lineup I’ve ever faced, for sure,” Skenes said.

The NL Cy Young Award winner last year in his first full season at age 23, Skenes mixed six pitches among 71 offerings that included a fastball averaging 97.6 mph. He allowed six hits and finished the tournament 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA and a .226 opponents batting average.

“You can make the argument he’s the best pitcher in the game,” U.S. manager Mark DeRosa said. “Special presence, special man, wants the moment, wasn’t too big for him. Controls his emotions, makes pitches.”

Skenes retired his first five batters before Caminero homered, then hit Geraldo Perdomo with a pitch and allowed Ketel Marte's single in the third, when right fielder Aaron Judge threw a 95.7 mph strike to third, cutting down Fernandez Tatis Jr. for the inning's final out.

“Aa moment like that where I can throw a guy out and help out Paul Skenes, who is electric as he is. I was excited about that,” Judge said.

Skenes stranded the bases loaded in the fourth when Austin Wells flied out. He had been given the lead when Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony homered in the top half.

“He’s very smart. He likes playing with the mind of the hitters,” said Juan Soto, who went 0 for 2 against Skenes. “We have to think a lot when we face him. That’s why I think he’s so special.”

Skenes has a 1.96 ERA in 55 career starts, striking out 386 while walking 74 in 320 2/3 innings. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has not come close to the playoffs on Pirates teams that finished 76-86 in 2024 and 71-91 last year.

Pittsburgh enters this season with seven straight losing records and 27 in 30 years that included a record 20 in a row from 1993 to 2012. The Pirates haven't reached the World Series since winning the 1979 title.

Skenes is on track to be eligible for free agency after the 2029 season, having earned extra major league service time by finishing among the top two in voting for the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year award, which he won. That provision was added to the collective bargaining agreement in 2022.

If he stays healthy and keeps pitching like the way he has been, he likely would command a record contract for a pitcher. Given the Pirates lack the revenue of large-market teams, they could consider trading him for prospects before he reaches free agency.

Skenes tends to not look too far ahead. He marveled at the Dominicans’ batting order that included eight All-Stars combining for 27 selections.

“Before and after,” he said, “but can’t get too caught up on that.”

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United States pitcher Paul Skenes (30) aims a pitch during the first inning of a World Baseball Classic semifinal game against the Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

United States pitcher Paul Skenes (30) aims a pitch during the first inning of a World Baseball Classic semifinal game against the Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

United States pitcher Paul Skenes pauses on the mound during the third inning of a World Baseball Classic semifinal game against the Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

United States pitcher Paul Skenes signs autographs after the team defeated the Dominican Republic at a World Baseball Classic semifinal game, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

United States pitcher Paul Skenes walks back to the mound during the fourth inning of a World Baseball Classic semifinal game against the Dominican Republic, Sunday, March 15, 2026, in Miami. Skenes flag patch on the hat and sleeve are backwards. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear arguments over the Trump administration’s push to end legal protections for people fleeing war and natural disaster from countries around the world, including Haiti and Syria.

The justices refused to immediately lift the protections for hundreds of thousands of people Monday, allowing them to live and work in the U.S. legally for now.

The court is expected to hear the case next month.

The conservative-majority court has sided with the Trump administration on the issue before and allowed the end of similar legal protections for a total of 600,000 people from Venezuela while lawsuits play out, exposing them to potential deportation.

The Trump administration filed emergency appeals after lower courts stopped the immediate end of temporary protected status for 350,000 people from Haiti and 6,000 people from Syria.

The Justice Department argued that the Department of Homeland Security has sole power to end the protections, which were originally designed to be temporary.

But immigration attorneys argued that both countries are still largely in crisis and people can't return safely.

Courts in New York and Washington, D.C., have agreed to delay the end of protections, with one finding that “hostility to nonwhite immigrants” likely played a role in the decision to end protections for Haitians. Appeals courts left the decisions in place.

A total of about 1.3 million people fleeing armed conflict and natural disasters around the world have been granted temporary protected status. The administration is asking the court for a broad ruling that would block courts from intervening when Homeland Security decides to end a designation.

Authorities have said conditions in the affected countries have improved and denied racial animus played a role.

Temporary protected status allows people to legally live and work in the U.S., though it does not provide a path to citizenship. Homeland Security has moved to terminate the program for people from multiple countries since Republican Donald Trump returned to the White House.

The U.S. Supreme Court as seen during a snowy day on Capitol Hill Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)