Olivia Dunne made sure to celebrate the All-Star nod for her swashbuckling boyfriend Paul Skenes.
The Pirates rookie sensation earned his first trip to the MLB All-Star Game taking place next week in Arlington, Texas, and Dunne marked the occasion for Skenes after the news came out.
In multiple posts across social media, Dunne celebrated the news first by sharing the MLB post about Skenes being selected for the Midsummer Classic with the caption “he’s an ALL STAR!”
In a second Instagram story, Dunne showcased balloons that spelled out the word “ALL STAR,” as well as pizza and champagne.
In a video posted on TikTok, Dunne — wearing a long black dress — gave a behind-the-scenes look of how she surprised Skenes with the balloons and pizza after he arrived back from Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Mets.
The video opens with Dunne showing off the balloons and then cuts to her dancing around the room in celebration of Skenes’ news.
Eventually, it shows the moment that the LSU product arrived at the apartment and smiled as he saw the goodies that Dunne had assembled along with her jumping up and down.
The video was captioned, “Surprising my bf after finding out he’s an MLB All Star.”
Skenes made a bit of MLB history with his All-Star Game nod by becoming the first player to be taken No. 1 overall in the draft and then make it to the All-Star Game the following season.
“You definitely can’t expect it,” Skenes said, according to 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. And so it’s been a lot that’s happened over the course of a year. It hasn’t necessarily been a whirlwind or anything like that, but looking back, it’s gone quick.”
Star rookie Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is an MLB All-Star, and his girlfriend, social media influencer and LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, is just as excited. Skenes earned his trip to the All-Star game on the National League side just a year after being the first overall selection in the 2023 MLB draft, thanks to a stellar rookie season thus far after being promoted to the big leagues in early May. With 10 starts in his MLB career so far, Skenes has 78 strikeouts and a 2.12 ERA and boasts the fastest average fastball velocity among all MLB starting pitchers at 99.2 mph. The Pirates are 7-3 when he starts. To celebrate, Dunne surprised Skenes with cake, champagne, and balloons when he came home after hearing he was an All-Star.
Skenes became the first player in league history to be taken No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft and then named the following year to an All-Star team. He is the first Pirates rookie pitcher to ever be named to an All-Star Game. “This is cool, and I’m just grateful for all you guys,” Skenes said to teammates in the clubhouse after being given the news of his All-Star selection by manager Derek Shelton. “Since the first day I’ve been here I’ve been part of the team. I couldn’t have done it without you guys.”
The All-Star accolades may not be done yet for Skenes in the coming days, as he is also a candidate to start the game for NL manager Torey Luvollo of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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.
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.
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 strikeout 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.
Skenes flashes a triple-digit fastball on the radar gun with filthy breaking pitches that have 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.”
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.
Source: Fox News, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
