"Proud of you forever" - Paul Skenes' girlfriend Olivia Dunne shows unwavering support despite pitcher's rough outing against Dodgers
Paul Skenes' girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, showcased unwavering support for the Pirates rookie ace after his difficult outing against the LA Dodgers on Saturday in LA. Skenes registered his second loss of the season as he gave up four earned runs on six hits, walked one and struck out eight batters in six innings pitched.
Olivia Dunne shared a story on Instagram voicing support for Skenes after the Saturday night loss. Her caption read,
"Proud of you forever."
Dunne has constantly supported Skenes since his collegiate baseball days with the LSU Tigers. The two first met at LSU when Olivia Dunne was preparing for the NCAA championships with the women's gymnastics team and Paul was dominating D1 baseball with the Tigers.
While Olivia Dunne won the NCAA title with LSU in April, Skenes propelled the Tigers to the seventh NCAA title in franchise history after leading them to the 2023 College World Series championship and winning the Most Outstanding Player of that tournament.
After winning the College World Series and coming out to be one of the hottest pitching prospects in the league, he was selected as the first overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2023 MLB draft and also received a $9.6 million signing bonus by the NL Central ballclub.
Paul Skenes has been highly impressive in the big leagues since making his debut in May. His performances in the first half of the campaign helped him achieve the opportunity to become the NL All-Star starter in the Midsummer Classic on July 17 in Arlington, Texas.
Paul Skenes will hope to register a win in his next start against the Mariners
Since the league resumed after the All-Star break, Skenes has unexpectedly been subpar with his outings. He has registered two losses in four starts so far in the second half of the campaign.
Skenes will hope to turn the tide in his favor when he takes to the mound in the series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Friday at home at PNC Park. He will be up against a valiant unit of Mariners, who are 62-56 for the season and currently sit atop the AL West division.
Skenes has been better with his home starts this season, as he is 3-1 through eight starts at home in the current campaign. He has a better understanding of the in-game situations at home, which should be an advantage for the Pirates as they kick off a three-game homestand against Seattle on Friday.