The Detroit Tigers’ broadcast crew awkwardly joked about Olivia Dunne before her boyfriend Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates faced off against their team on Wednesday.
Before the Tigers-Pirates showdown, Bally Sports Detroit created a graph comparing Dunne’s social media to her friend’s. However, the broadcast took an awkward turn when Johnny Kane looked down at his phone in the middle of the segment.
“What’s going on there, dude? Are you looking for Livvy Dunne?’ asked in-game reporter Trevor Thompson.
“She just gained a follower,” analyst Carlos Pena said with a laugh.
“Are you going to follow her on all the socials, Johnny?” Thompson continued. “She’s a pretty good gymnast, national champion gymnast at LSU.”
The Lions broadcast crew awkwardly joked about Olivia Dunne before Wednesday’s game
During the broadcast, Bally Sports Detroit compared Dunne’s social media to that of Paul Skenes
Dunne has 5.2 million followers on Instagram and 8 million on TikTok.
In addition to her massive social media following, Dunne found great success last year when she debuted in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. In April, Dunne got the crown jewel of her track and field career when LSU won their first NCAA national title in gymnastics.
“Are you interviewing Livvy in the stands today?” Kane asked Thompson as the awkward conversation continued.
“If I see her, I’m going to try to track her down,” Thompson said with a smile. ‘Let’s see if she comes with us to Bally Sports. Why not?’
Like Dunne, Skenes also attended LSU and helped the Tigers win a national championship in 2023.
Skenes, Dunne’s friend, was drafted by the Pirates with the first pick in the 2023 draft
Dunne and Skenes both attended LSU where they won national titles in their respective sports
While in Baton Rouge, Skenes won the National Pitcher of the Year Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. He was also crowned the College World Series Most Outstanding Player.
Pittsburgh selected Skenes with the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft and began the season with the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
The pitcher made his Major League debut on May 11 against the Chicago Cubs and struck out seven at PNC Park. The Pirates are 2-1 so far when Skenes came into action.