Pirates' Paul Skenes doesn't mince words on manager's firing: 'Someone's gotta be held accountable'

Major League Baseball saw its first manager firing of the season this week when the Pittsburgh Pirates axed Derek Shelton after a - start It's been a rough go for the Pirates since their brief postseason stretch a decade ago But with young talent in Paul Skenes Oneil Cruz Bryan Reynolds Ke'Bryan Hayes and others they have failed to live up to expectations Skenes admitted he wasn't shocked by the move CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS COM We're - Someone's gotta be held accountable he notified reporters Friday Unfortunately right now it's him But Skenes stated a managerial change won't do much because it's ultimately up to the players Just how it goes I don't know if it fixes the root of the issue We just need to play better he added Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a lot over five-plus years His family became a big part of the Pirates family and we will miss that Pirates general manager Ben Cherington noted in a report He's an incredibly smart curious and driven baseball leader I believe he was the right person for the job when he was hired I also believe that a change is now necessary I wish Derek and his family all the best in their next chapter Pirates bench coach Don Kelly was named Shelton s replacement Derek is a good man who did a lot for the Pirates and Pittsburgh but it was time for a change Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting declared The first quarter of the season has been frustrating and painful for all of us We have to do better I know that Ben knows that Our coaches know that Our players know that There is a lot of baseball left to be played We need to act with a sense of urgency and take the strategies necessary to fix this now to get back on track as a club and organization Pittsburgh was in contention last summer before finishing - Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this overview Follow Fox News Digital s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter