Paul Skenes' girlfriend Olivia Dunne's pitching knowledge steals the spotlight, leaves Pirates ace impressed in candid chat
MLB power couple Paul Skenes and Olivia Dunne had a lighthearted conversation in collaboration with GQ on Wednesday. Among many things, Skenes asked the LSU gymnast to break down one of his pitches.
Skenes, who pitches for the Pittsburgh Pirates, has made a name for himself after winning the NL Rookie of the Year. Sinker was one of his go-to pitches in tough situations, and he asked Dunne about his grip to throw that.
"How do I throw my sinker?," Skenes asked Dunne.
"Okay, I have no clue," Dunne replied, before making an attempt to show the grip.
"Okay, and then you take these two, put them over, and then you have your finger right here, and then you throw it like that, and then it goes up and then down," she added.
It left Skenes impressed, as he said:
"I'll give you a half point for that."
"Am I right?," Dunne asked.
"Kind of, just like that. That wasn't bad," Skenes replied.
Paul Skenes reveals difference in nature between him and Olivia Dunne when surrounded by fans
There are always two sets of professionals. One who wants to keep things laser-focused and has little room for distraction, while another enjoys being the center of attention. Paul Skenes fits in the first group, while Olivia Dunne falls in the other.
During the same interview, Paul Skenes compared how his personality around fans is a lot different than how his girlfriend conducts herself.
“She’s been dealing with all the notoriety and all that longer than I have,” Skenes told GQ. “I view it as, it’s not my job to take pictures with these people, it’s my job to throw, and them wanting to take pictures is getting in the way of that ... But she always handles everything very well — she’s very comfortable to be around for other people who come up and ask to talk, that kind of thing.
“I mean, she never says no to a picture. I say no to them,” Skenes added.
Dunne chimed in, revealing Skenes' reluctance on social media and fan engagement.
“He doesn’t care about what anyone thinks of him,” she said. “He knows what he’s doing is right. He’s not online.”
The duo has been dating since 2023 after they had first met in the SU campus.