"He's an All-Star" - Olivia Dunne beams as boyfriend Paul Skenes makes MLB's midsummer classic team in rookie season
Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher Paul Skenes' girlfriend Olivia Dunne was in celebratory mode after the announcement of Skenes' maiden All-Star selection. Paul and teammate Bryan Reynolds made it to the National League All-Star team on Sunday. This is Reynolds second nod as an All-Star, while it's the first for the 22-year-old searing strike thrower from Fullerton, California.
Olivia Dunne shared a couple of images on Instagram story to celebrate Paul Skenes' All-Star nod, which came after his impressive performances on the mound since his MLB debut in May. She captioned her story:
"He's an All Star! @paulskenes."
Skenes and Dunne had met on the university grounds of LSU and were excelling in their respective sporting fields as collegiate athletes. Olivia Dunne helped the Tigers claim their maiden NCAA title in April, while Paul won the College World Series with LSU last year.
After a strong season with the Tigers, Paul Skenes was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the MLB draft. He made quick transitions through the Pirates' minor league affiliates and was soon promoted to the MLB roster in May.
Since then, he's 5-0 through 10 starts this season with an ERA of 2.12, 72 strikeouts and 1.01 WHIP. On his maiden All-Star selection, Skenes said:
“Obviously, starting the year in Triple-A, the odds of going to the Major League All-Star Game are pretty slim, so that wasn't one of my goals necessarily or expectations for this season.
"It's just a huge honor that I'm able to do it, after playing just a short span in the big leagues."
Paul Skenes voices aspiration on possibility of starting Midsummer Classic
The talented rookie would love to start the All-Star game representing his National League All-Star team at Globe Life FIeld on July 16. The decision would be on the shoulders of NL team manager Torey Lovullo, but reflecting on the possibility of the same, Paul Skenes said:
"That would be cool. I have no expectations. I don't know how that works or who gets to decide that kinda thing, but that would definitely be cool."
Skenes will make the last start of the first half of the campaign against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Wednesday.