Olivia Dunne’s boyfriend Paul Skenes will NOT play again for the rest of this year as Pittsburgh Pirates look ahead to next season with No 1 pick… after LSU star traveled to watch him play
Olivia Dunne’s Boyfriend Paul Skenes Will NOT Play For Rest Of This Year As Pittsburgh Pirates Look Ahead To Next Season With No. 1 Pick…after LSU Star Traveled To Watch Him Play
Olivia Dunne won’t get a second chance to see her boyfriend in action this season after he’s been pulled from the minor league program until next year.
Paul Skenes was voted No. 1 in the MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and recently played in Single-A and Double-A as he prepared for life in the big leagues.
Dunne sat in the stands during games at both Altoona and Bradenton to watch Skenes in action just weeks after their romance was confirmed by the pitcher.
However, his debut in Double-A didn’t go as planned, as he gave up four runs on three hits in the first inning for the Altoona Curve, in a game against the Akron Rubber Ducks.
He was pulled out after scoring only two outs in the first inning while walking two batters. After pulling him, Altoona won the game 9-8.
Paul Skenes played seven minor league-games, but will not be used by the Pirates again
Skenes was selected first overall in the MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates this summer
Olivia Dunne made the trip to Pennsylvania from Baton Rouge, where school begins
Meanwhile, the Pirates placed the right-hander on the development list on Tuesday, meaning he will continue to train at a Pirates facility but will not appear in minor league games for the rest of 2023.
“We are excited and encouraged by the positive things Paul has been able to accomplish in his short time with the Pirates organization,” Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement. “He ticked all the boxes that we wanted him to check during the 2023 season.
“The goal now is to focus on a complete off-season in preparation for his first full pro year in 2024.”
The star pitcher at LSU – where he met Dunne – signed a contract with a record $9.2 million bonus after the Pirates picked him first overall.
Dunne has 4.4 million Instagram followers and is the highest-earning female athlete in NCAA
Skenes, 21, was named National Player of the Year and National Pitcher of the Year before helping LSU to victory at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, where he earned Most Outstanding Player honors.
In five starts with the Florida Complex League Pirates, Single-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona, Skenes struckout 10 batters, walked two and gave up five hits and four earned runs in 6⅔ innings. All runs and walks came in one game, his Double-A debut.
Skenes recently confirmed his romance with Dunne in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, talking about their relationship and the struggles of dating while being world-class athletes.
“It sure is fun,” Skenes admitted. “It can be tricky sometimes, honestly, when it comes to actually going somewhere.
LSU star Olivia Dunne poses on a speedboat in Italy during her three-month summer of fun
Dunne fronted an edition of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and shared a behind-the-scenes photo
“If one of us were to go to Baton Rouge alone, there would probably be someone asking for something: a photo, an autograph, whatever.
“It’s nice to be able to have that conversation. She gets it. I wish she could come to a baseball game and just enjoy it. It irritates me.’
In the stands, Dunne appeared to be turning heads at Peoples Natural Gas Field in the central Pennsylvania city before the game against Akron. He posted a TikTok video showing some fans parting ways with her.
She recently opted to take classes online this season due to concerns about her safety following her rise in popularity.