National League pitcher Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks the red carpet with his girlfriend LSU gymnast Olivia Livvy Dunne before the 2024 MLB All-Star game at Globe Life Field on July 16, 2024. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Paul Skenes Looks on as Livvy Dunne Shines in First Gymnastics Meet of Season

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Jan 4, 2025 11:25 AM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates ace pitcher Paul Skenes made his return to LSU on Friday night, looking on as girlfriend Olivia "Livvy" Dunne kicked off the final season of her career for the Tigers gymnastics team.

Dunne was a frequent supporter of Skenes during his first season in the big leagues, popping up at several of his starts, including the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and now Skenes is returning the favor.

Dunne is a fifth-year senior and helped LSU win the national championship last season. You can see Dunne's routine on the balance beam below, with the camera panning to Skenes early on.

Liv beam debut alert @livvydunne scores a 9.825 in the fourth spot!

SEC Network pic.twitter.com/7X4zecAtba
— LSU Gymnastics (@LSUgym) January 4, 2025

LSU defeated Iowa State in the opener with Dunne earning a 9.825 on the balance beam and a 9.875 on the floor. LSU won 197.300-194.100.

Skenes and Dunne have become the latest sports power couple. While they are not on the level of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, they are quite popular among younger fans.

Skenes finished his rookie season at 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA. He struck out 170 batters in just 133.0 innings and looked every bit the part of an ace moving into 2025. The former No. 1 pick in the draft (2023), Skenes made his major league debut in early May after just a handful of minor league starts With Skenes and Jared Jones, the Pirates and their fans finally look to have some optimism moving forward.

Armed with an upper-90s fastball and his power "splinker," Skenes also earned the start for the National League in the All-Star Game. In addition to winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award, Skenes was also already a finalist for the National League Cy Young. He was just given the best odds to win the 2025 Cy Young by Fanduel Sportsbook.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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