The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1, after rookie pitcher Paul Skenes pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings. Olivia Dunne, the girlfriend of the former LSU standout, reacted to a post on Instagram of the Cardinals fans giving a standing ovation to Skenes, in which she reposted it with a heart to her five million followers.
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Cardinals fans give Paul Skenes an ovation as he exits in the seventh inning pic.twitter.com/UV4TiWeYwx
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 12, 2024
The opposing team's fans stood to their feet in Busch Stadium, as Skenes' outing consisted of throwing eight strikeouts, giving up five hits, and no walks, while not surrendering a run.
Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton talked about how the young pitcher contributed to the win.
"He was extremely efficient," the coach said after Skenes threw 74 of his career-high 103 pitches for strikes. "Overall, he was very impressive. We continue to see growth out of Paul."
Skenes is dating Dunne, who is a former Team USA gymnastics star and is currently competing on the collegiate level at LSU.
Paul Skenes: National Champion.
Olivia Dunne: National Champion. pic.twitter.com/OWwnoIW6Xy
— tik (@twosuh) April 20, 2024
In a recent interview, Dunne talked about how she gets nervous watching her boyfriend pitch in the major leagues.
Livvy Dunne gets more nervous watching Paul 😂 pic.twitter.com/EZY4uIfOEb
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) June 11, 2024
"I get more nervous watching Paul because it's just different when you're not doing it, and you're not in control," Dunne said. "But I am confident in his abilities, and I kinda channel those nerves into excitement for him."
Being the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Skenes certainly hasn't disappointed, as he has yet to give up more than three runs in any start since his debut on May 11.
During his rookie year so far, he is 3-0 in six starts, with a 2.43 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. Furthermore, the 22-year-old has struck out 46 batters, and has only given up six walks in 33.1 innings of work.
“This is one of my favorite moments I’ve ever seen, there’s nothing that can top this”🥺this Livvy Dunne interview talking about Paul Skenes is so wholesome pic.twitter.com/uGnNd8R6T0
— Dillion Harper (@og_yungdilly) May 11, 2024
