Livvy Dunne Supports Pirates' Paul Skenes vs. Mets
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NEW YORK — Former LSU gymnast and social media sensation Livvy Dunne made an appearance at the latest Pittsburgh Pirates game, with pitcher Paul Skenes making his most recent start.
Dunne came on the field prior to the game, as she joined fellow SI Swimsuit models in Ellie Thumann, Camille Kostek and Xandra Pohl, who are all Mets fans and got to throw out the first pitch ahead of the game at Citi Field.
While there was great bonding between the four, Dunne had to show her support for the Pirates, with her boyfriend, Skenes, about to make another start.
Dunne would head up and watch Skenes dominate the Mets, allowing just one run in six innings of work, posting six strikeouts, while holding the Mets 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Skenes and Dunne started dating each other back at LSU, and the two have been inseparable ever since. The duo also featured in a recent GQ magazine feature, 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 Tik Tok. 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 starred at LSU in 2023, after transferring from Air Force. 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, leading the program to a national title that season.
He would enter the 2023 MLB Draft, where the Pirates took him with the No. 1 overall pick. He also signed with the franchise on a $9.2 million signing bonus, the highest ever given to a player at the time.
Skenes dominated in the minor leagues and soon made it up to the majors on May 11 of the 2024 season.
He started 23 games, had a 1.96 ERA in 133 innings, allowed just 29 earned runs, 94 hits, six home runs and 32 walks, while recording 170 strikeouts and holding opposing hitting to a .198 batting average. He also had a 11.50 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.95.
Skenes was the first member of the Pirates to start for the National League in the All-Star Game since Jerry Reuss did it in 1975, 49 years ago. He was also just the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game, with Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers last doing so before him in 1995, en route to winning NL Rookie of the Year.
He also made the All-MLB First Team for his performance in 2024, won NL Rookie of the Year and was a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award.
Skenes has kept up the performances this season, despite a 3-4 record in nine starts, as he has a 2.63 ERA over 54.2 innings pitched, 53 strikeouts to 15 walks and an opposing batting average of .201.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.