Olivia “Livvy” Dunne could not have been more ecstatic to find out her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes, made the NL All-Star team after just 10 starts in his big league career.
Dunne wanted to surprise Skenes with a small celebration of pizza and champagne after the news dropped on Sunday, as MLB released the pitchers, reserves and complete rosters for the All-Star Game, which will be held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on July 16.
The LSU gymnast posted several times on social media about Skenes’ All-Star selection, which made MLB history as he was the first player ever to be selected No. 1 overall and then granted All-Star honors the following year.
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Livvy Dunne watches as her boyfriend Paul Skenes, #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates, makes his major league debut during the game against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on May 11, 2024 in Pittsburgh. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)
First, Dunne simply shared MLB’s post about Skenes being selected for the game, captioning it, “he’s an ALL STAR!”
She then revealed in a second Instagram Story that she had a surprise being cooked up for Skenes – gold letter balloons that spelled out “ALL STAR” with the pizza and champagne on the kitchen counter.
PIRATES ROOKIE PAUL SKENES MAKES MLB HISTORY AFTER GETTING SELECTED TO MLB ALL-STAR GAME
Dunne, sporting a long black dress in her TikTok video, gave a look at the surprise she had in store for Skenes.
Once he came home, he was all smiles as he saw what Dunne had ready for him. They both hugged in the kitchen, celebrating another milestone moment in what has been a fantastic start to Skenes’ baseball career.
Skenes, 22, made his MLB debut on May 11 this season against the Chicago Cubs, when he set down seven hitters by strike out over four innings. Since then, he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, using his electric stuff on the mound to generate a 2.12 ERA over 10 starts.
Paul Skenes, #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates, delivers a pitch in the first inning during the game against the New York Mets at PNC Park on July 5, 2024 in Pittsburgh. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Skenes flashes a triple-digit fastball on the radar gun with filthy breaking pitches that has troubled big league hitters as much as it did in college with the Tigers.
Skenes has struck out 78 hitters already, while walking just 12 over 59.1 innings.
“You definitely can’t expect it,” Skenes said of his All-Star Game bid, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I think it’s just a product of being present and doing the work that it takes, that kind of thing. The expectation was definitely to win the national championship when we were there. That was the only thing that we wanted to do.
“But in terms of getting drafted first overall, getting called up whenever I was called up, and now the All-Star game, there were no expectations for me. It’s kind of just about doing as much as I can and allowing others to make the decision for me.”
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes, #30, poses with his girlfriend Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunne after making his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on May 11, 2024. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
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Skenes and Dunne both hope this is just the first of many to come, but they are certainly making the best of this moment, one they surely will not forget as the All-Star Game fast approaches next week.
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