Livvy Dunne Praises Pirates' Paul Skenes in Last Start

Skenes didn't get the win, as the Reds tied it up in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Pirates came out victorious in extra innings, taking the series by winning the first two games.

This marked an incredible season for Skenes, despite a 10-10 record over 32 starts, as he finished amongst the best pitchers in baseball, with the lowest ERA (1.97), tied for the third most strikeouts (216), the fourth lowest WHIP (0.95), the sixth lowest opposing batting average (.199) and tied for the eighth most innings pitched (187.2).

Skenes also set the record for the most strikeouts in a season by a right-handed pitcher and the fifth most in a season overall, both in the live-ball era (since 1920)

Dunne, who many Pirates fans would agree with, announced that it was the best season she had ever seen from an individual player.

The couple have been inseparable since they started dating when they were student-athletes at LSU. The duo also featured in GQ magazine earlier this year, with the couple wearing designer clothes and taking photos in a rare snowstorm in Baton Rouge.

Dunne was the most followed NCAA athlete on social media, including 5.3 million followers on Instagram and eight million followers on TikTok. She just finished her fifth season with LSU gymnastics, where they finished third at the National Championships.

She helped LSU win their first National Title in the 2023-24 season, as well as setting a career-high of 9.900 on floor twice. She also spent time o the U.S. National Team back in 2017. That marked her final season of competitive gymnastics, as she chose to retire from the sport following the conclusion of the season.

Skenes excelled at LSU in 2023, after transferring in from Air Force, helping them win a National Championship. He had a 13-2 record in 19 starts, 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings, giving up just 23 earned runs and seven earned runs, while notching 209 strikeouts to just 20 walks.

The Pirates took Skenes with the first overall pick and he joined on a record signing bonus of $9.2 million.

Skenes dominated in 2024 as a rookie, with an 11-3 record over 23 starts, allowing just 29 earned runs over 133.0 innings pitched for a 1.96 ERA, 170 strikeouts to 32 walks, a .198 opposing batting average, a 0.95 WHIP and a 11.50 K/9.

He went on to win NL Rookie of the Year, earning 23 of the 30 first-place votes and becoming the first Pirates player since outfielder Jason Bay did so 20 years earlier in 2004. He was also the first rookie that started an All-Star Game since 1995, doing so for the National League.

Skenes also earned All-MLB First Team honors and finished third in voting for the National League Cy Young Award.

He is en route to his first NL Cy Young Award and also started for the NL in the All-Star Game again in 2025, becoming the first pitcher ever that started consecutive All-Stars in their first two seasons in the MLB.

Skenes and Dunne have still spent a great amount of time with each other, even with their busy schedules. This includes going out to dinner on occasion, stunning on theAll-Star red carpet, vacationing in the Hamptons, going golfing and much more.

Dunne traveled across the country to support Skenes and even streamed one of his starts, while at the U.S. Open, making sure to show love to her boyfriend whenever he took the mound for the Pirates.