Pirates’ Paul Skenes Announces Career News on Wednesday

Kevin R&period; Wexler-NorthJersey&period;com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pirates’ Paul Skenes Announces Career News on Wednesday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Will Chesanek | Last updated Jun 24, 2026 8:23 PM ET

Paul Skenes has justified the Pittsburgh Pirates selecting him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft so far in his professional career. Skenes is coming off a 2025 Cy Young Award-winning season in which he led MLB in ERA (1.97), was fourth in strikeouts (216) and WHIP (0.95), and finished second in WAR among starting pitchers (7.6).

Only in his third season in the majors, Skenes is maintaining his strong play. The El Toro High School graduate is seventh in strikeouts (107) and 13th in ERA (2.86), along with being fifth in the league in WHIP (0.93). The California native is not only known for his abilities on the mound but also for his public relationship with former LSU Tigers gymnastics star Livvy Dunne.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The two have boosted each other's celebrity, and Skenes has taken advantage of his rise in profile. On Wednesday, Skenes went to social media to reveal that he had collaborated with the fast-food restaurant and gas station chain on a new order, the "Big Glizzy" hot dog. Skenes went to Instagram to announce the collaboration, promote the new menu item and share the origin story.

The dog is a 10-inch premium all-beef hot dog. Chefs offer two inspirations for the dog: the Coney Dog, topped with chili sauce and shredded cheese, and the All-American Dog, topped with ketchup, mustard and relish.

"Paul Skenes here," Skenes wrote in the Instagram caption. "I'm taking over the feed to talk about the Big Glizzy. Let's get it! And watch the big dawg's origin story at the link in bio."