Olivia Dunne shows off her baseball expertise on MLB All-Star red carpet alongside pitching prodigy boyfriend Paul Skenes
Olivia Dunne showed off her impressive baseball knowledge on Tuesday night when she hit the red carpet at the MLB All-Star competition with boyfriend Paul Skenes.
Dunne, a gymnast at LSU, was introduced to baseball through her relationship with Skenes, who previously pitched at LSU and is now the star of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
And the social media star went ballistic when Skenes asked her if she could hold a fastball.
In the interview with Rob Friedman of FanDuelDunne asked Skeknes if he meant a four-seamer.
“Look, I know,” she said.
Olivia Dunne signaled to Paul Skenes that she could try a four-seam fastball grip
Dunne did her best four-seam hold, while Skenes lightly remarked that she was doing it wrong
Dunne then attempted a four-seam hold, with Skenes gently pointing out that she was incorrectly using three fingers.
Dunne replied that she was “more of a splinker girl,” referring to Skene’s rare hybrid pitch of a splitter and a sinker.
The Pirates rookie, who started for the NL All-Star team on Tuesday, impressed in a single inning that didn’t yield a single score.
Dunne was seen wildly encouraging Skenes as he got Aaron Judge to ground out, producing the final out of the inning.
The 22-year-old is just the fifth rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game in the showcase’s 94-year history.
Skenes and Dunne hit the red carpet ahead of the All-Star Game on Tuesday
Dunne was wild for Skenes when he recorded a scoreless first inning in the All-Star Game
The last rookie pitcher to start an All-Star Game was Hideo Nomo of the Dodgers in 1995.
Skenes, the first overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, has had an incredible start in the pros, posting a 1.90 ERA in 66.1 innings pitched thus far.
Dunne recently announced that she will return to LSU for a fifth year as a member of the gymnastics team.