Paul Skenes' girlfriend Olivia Dunne's priceless reaction goes viral as he strikes out Aaron Judge & Juan Soto in Pirates' penultimate game
Olivia Dunne, Paul Skenes' famous girlfriend, cheered him on as the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher made his last start for the team in his rookie regular season. It was a momentous occasion as he capped off one of the most stellar rookie pitching seasons in all of baseball, ending with a 1.96 ERA.
Paul Skenes pitched two perfect innings, retiring all of the top six New York Yankees batters, including back-to-back strikeouts of stalwarts Juan Soto and Aaron Judge in the first inning.
The former struck out looking on a 1-2 count and 99-mph fastball. The latter swung on an 86-mph sweeper on the same pitch count. His final and 170th strikeout for the season came at the expense of Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Livvy Dunne's reactions were captured from the stands as she cheered on her boyfriend. In a snap posted on MLB's page, the social media influencer can be seen looking elated while videographing her partner's achievement.
Olivia and Paul are one of the most popular sports couples out there. They started dating while at Lousiana State University. Their careers progressed side-by-side as Dunne transitioned from a gymnast to a famous influencer while Skenes was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Paul Skenes is top contender for NL Rookie of the Year honors
Paul Skenes' final stat line for the season ends at 11-3, with a 1.96 ERA in 23 games started in 133.0 innings pitched with 0.95 WHIP and 170 strikeouts.
He ended his season with a 211 ERA+, which is a new all-time high for any rookie starter who has pitched in at least 20 games since their introduction to the majors.
Skenes' ability to get whiffs and leave batters looking at the plate has been exemplary. He holds a 5.31 K/BB ratio while also maintaining a high 11.50 K/9 ratio. Batters have an opposition OPS of just .552 all season long.
For a pitcher to be available for certain pitching awards, they would have to record at least one inning each for all the games their team plays.
This has left Skenes ineligible for the ERA and strikeouts awards but he is the primary contender to win the National League Rookie of the Year award, with his closest rival being San Diego Padres rookie batter Jackson Merrill.