Gymnast Livvy Dunne Shares Perspective on Boyfriend Paul Skenes's Debut for Pirates

Patrick Andres | May 11, 2024

Feb 2, 2024; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Lady Tigers senior Livvy Dunne. / Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes brings enough star power to MLB by himself, given his status as one of the most breathlessly anticipated pitching prospects of this century.

However, his girlfriend may be even more famous. Gymnast Livvy Dunne—like Skenes—was a national champion at LSU, and has achieved fame far and wide on social media with 13 million followers between Instagram and TikTok.

While Skenes debuted for the Pirates on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, Dunne discussed watching a fellow elite athlete work in an interview with SportsNet Pittsburgh.

"All I can say is that's the quickest I've ever packed in my life," Dunne said of Skenes getting the call to the major leagues. "He was like, 'Let's pack.' So we hit the road."

Paul Skenes' girlfriend and LSU gymnastics champion Livvy Dunne talks about how it's more nerve-wracking watching him pitch than competing herself pic.twitter.com/cku2Aizw9T

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 11, 2024

Skenes finished his first outing with seven strikeouts in four innings, while allowing six hits and three earned runs in an eventual 10–9 Pittsburgh win.

"I have so many amazing memories for him but I know how hard he's worked for this moment," Dunne said. Asked how she compared Skenes's debut with her own national championship, she added that it was "way harder to be the person in the stands watching because I'm not in control."