Fastball

Livvy Dunne Gives Paul Skenes Massive Props During Major League Debut

LSU gymnast and social media star Livvy Dunne was in attendance to watch boyfriend Paul Skenes make his Major League debut on Saturday. She also told the cameras how proud she was of him for making it to the show.

Brady Farkas

May 11, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunne
May 11, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunne / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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Pittsburgh Pirates' rookie and 2023 No.1 overall draft pick Paul Skenes made his Major League debut on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, striking out seven over four innings. He did allow three runs on six hits and two walks. The game went into a lengthy rain delay in the fifth inning with the score tied at 6-6.

Despite his final line, Skenes flashed the skill that made him the No. 1 pick last year and helped LSU win the National Championship in 2023. He threw several triple-digit fastballs, even registering 102 MPH on the radar gun.

It was the most anticipated debut among pitchers in the big leagues since Stephen Strasburg debuted for the Nationals in 2010 and Skenes is the best prospect the Pirates have had since Gerrit Cole was drafted out of LSU.

Furthermore, Skenes's debut could be good for baseball on the whole, as he brings with him a superstar girlfriend: Livvy Dunne is a national champion gymnast out of LSU who also appears in television commercials and was part of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Dunne also has immense popularity on social media, where she has 5.1 million followers on Instagram.

She was in attendance for the game on Saturday and spoke with reporters about what this moment meant to her.

Per @MLB on social media:

"...I know how hard he's worked for this moment, all the hours...I just know what a hard worker he is, so this is probably one of the favorite moments I've ever seen. Seriously, there's nothing that can top this. I'm so proud."

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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