Paul Skenes is having a promising rookie season with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 22-year-old is 6-0 in 11 appearances and has thrown 89 strikeouts, both of which are top 60 MLB rankings. Skenes is gaining recognition off the field as well from his girlfriend Olivia Dunne (also known as Livvy Dunne), a star gymnast and social media influencer.
Dunne gave reporters the inside scoop on Skenes' hidden talent at the 2024 ESPYS.
“Paul's hidden talent? He's a chef! He is a very good cook,” Dunn replied, via ESPN on Instagram.
Paul Skenes' abilities in the kitchen are not the only thing Livvy Dunne revealed about the star pitcher. Dunne noted an interesting aspect of Skenes' personality that some people may not know about.
“He's actually very goofy believe it or not,” Dunne furthered. “It doesn't seem that way in interviews, but he's a goofy guy.”
Skenes may be goofy around Livvy Dunne, but his mid-July run on the diamond has been serious.
Skenes and the Pirates took on the Milwaukee Brewers in an intense matchup on July 11. The rookie pitched seven innings with no-hits along with 11 strikeouts. His performance earned him a spot in history, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.
“Paul Skenes is the first pitcher with 7+ strikeouts in at least 10 of his 1st 11 career app (since at least 1901),” Langs noted.
Skenes pushed himself hard during the matchup, throwing 99 pitches. At that point, Derek Shelton decided to take the rookie out of the game despite his hot streak to not risk the development of injury. Fans were divided on the move, but Skenes gave a mature response after the game.
“I wasn't going to be surprised either way if he sent me out or pulled me. I mean, we have [Colin] Holderman and [Aroldis] Chapman at the backend of our bullpen, so I think those are probably two of the best guys in the league. So I have a ton of trust in them to finish it,” Skenes said, via MLB Network.
Paul Skenes looks to keep pushing himself on and off the diamond
Skenes looks to be a promising piece for the Pirates going forward. Moreover, his relationship with Livvy Dunne seems to be going strong as well. Dunne admitted that she has become more of a “baseball girl” since dating Skenes in an interview with ClutchPoints at the ESPYS.
“You know what, I never thought I'd watch that much baseball in my whole life,” Dunne said on Thursday, per Joey Mistretta. “But I'm a crazy baseball girl right now. I love watching, I love yelling my head off. And he's really good at what he does which makes it that much more fun.”
Skenes must be ecstatic to have the support of Dunn. However, Dunne still retains goals of her own. She won a national title with the LSU gymnastics team in 2024 and is returning for one more year. She said wants to make more history and win another championship with the Tigers in 2025.
Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes' futures look bright. If they keep working hard, there is no doubt they can continue to accomplish great things.
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