In Photos: Olivia Dunne celebrates boyfriend Paul Skenes' scorching MLB debut with post-game embrace at PNC Park
Saturday evening saw Paul Skenes take the mound for the first time in the MLB as the Pittsburgh Pirates took on the Chicago Cubs. This was a key battle for the Pirates, as they wanted to avoid losing ground on their NL Central rivals. After a back-and-forth game interrupted by rain, Pittsburgh came out on top, 10-9.
Paul Skenes had a solid debut, and while there were some worrisome moments, there was a lot to like. By base stats, it doesn't look all too impressive, as in four innings pitched Skenes allowed six hits, three runs and a home run, good for a 6.75 ERA, but he recored seven strikeouts and there was a lot of pressure on the rookie.
Furthermore, from 84 pitches, Skenes threw a combined 28 strikes and whiffs, with 17 fastballs at 100 mph or faster velocity. Skenes' girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, was in the stands and took to Instagram on Sunday to share some photos of her and the MLB pitcher, which she captioned:
"Way to go Bucco"
Olivia Dunne discusses Paul Skenes' MLB debut
During the broadcast, specifically in the third inning, Olivia Dunne discussed Paul Skenes' debut. While it was obviously a big moment for the pitcher, Dunne also felt the nerves.
“I had some nerves creeping in at first, but I kind of channeled that into excitement more than nerves,” said Dunne. "I just have the most confidence in him ever, so I trust in him and what he’s put in, and I’m just so excited.
“It’s amazing, the support here is awesome. Pittsburgh has been so welcoming. Just the people wearing Air Force stuff (Skenes’ first college before transferring to LSU), LSU stuff, wearing Skenes jerseys; the support here is unreal, and I love it.”
With Pittsburgh coming out on top against Chicago, there were hopes the team might start stringing together some wins.
However, the Pirates succumbed to a 5-4 loss on Sunday in a game where they were so close to winning. With players on the bases, Oneil Cruz struck out to send the game into extra innings, from where Chicago pulled out the win.