Young Pirates fan reveals his favorite thing about rookie Paul Skenes is his ‘mustache and Livvy Dunne’ … as LSU gymnast watches her man in Pittsburgh
Paul Skenes was back on the mound in Pittsburgh on Thursday, which meant Pirates fans were treated to another appearance from his internet sensation girlfriend, Livvy Dunne.
The rookie pitcher threw six strong innings, but didn’t factor in the call as his Pirates blew a 5-2 lead and fell behind 7-6 to the visiting San Francisco Giants.
But that was of little importance to one young fan, who was asked by Pittsburgh’s sideline reporter what his favorite thing about the rookie sensation was.
“His mustache and Livvy Dunne,” said the young Pirates fan, who wore a fake mustache himself.
Dunne made her obligatory Instagram post before Thursday’s competition, writing “let’s go bucs” next to a photo of the LSU gymnast in an empty tank top. The model and social media titan was a staple of Skenes’ matches after the two started dating while attending school in Baton Rouge.
A mustachioed Pirates fan revealed he likes Skenes and his gymnast girlfriend’s facial hair
His girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, posted a photo of herself on Instagram before the game
Paul Skenes allowed one run over six solid innings, but the San Francisco Giants rallied against the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen for a 7-6 victory on Thursday.
Matt Chapman hit a three-run homer off Hunter Stratton (1-1) in the eighth and Brett Wisely delivered a go-ahead single off Aroldis Chapman five batters later as the Giants overcame a big deficit for the second time in less than 24 hours.
San Francisco trailed by five early in a 9-5 overtime victory on Wednesday. The Giants trailed 6-2 through seven on Thursday after Bryan Reynolds’ second home run in two days appeared to give the Pirates enough wiggle room to help Skenes win his second straight start.
Not this time.
Chapman, Wisely, Lamont Wade Jr. and Heliot Ramos each scored two goals for the Giants, who won for only the fifth time in their last thirteen road games. Luke Jackson (2-1) took the win working seventh. Tyler Rogers pitched the ninth for his first save this season.
The comeback came after Skenes had long since left following another impressive performance.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes delivers during the first inning on Thursday
Former Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunne is seen at the Pirates competition on Thursday
Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes’ girlfriend Livvy Dunne takes a photo with fans
The 6-foot-2 right-hander struck out just three in his third Major League start, but skillfully weaved his way through traffic on the bases. The 21-year-old rookie allowed six hits (all singles) with a walk while lowering his ERA to 2.25.
The top pick in the 2023 amateur draft has become an instant sensation in Pittsburgh. A crowd of 23,162, including Skenes’ gymnast/influencer girlfriend Livvy Dunne – more than double what the club had averaged for weekday matinees this season – came out to see the hard-throwing Skenes and his signature mustache, a look that receives almost as much attention as his fastball exceeds 100 mph.
Six days away from a dominant start in Chicago in which he pitched six hitless innings against the Cubs, Skenes wasn’t as overpowering against the Giants. Only four of his 93 pitches reached triple figures and he relied more on contact to get himself out of trouble, using a pair of double plays and solid defensive work from third baseman Jared Triolo to get through San Francisco’s lineup nearly three times .
Skenes allowed one run over six solid innings, but the Giants fought back to steal a win
When Skenes left, things got tricky. When he came in, the Pirates were rolling.
Joey Bart hit a 434 shot from the batter’s eye behind the center-field fence in the fourth inning for the first grand slam of his career. Bart, taken second overall in the 2018 draft by the Giants before being acquired by Pittsburgh in April, also added a double. The catcher is hitting .391 (9 of 23) during his six-game hitting streak.
Bart’s day ended a little early when he was ejected by first base umpire Alex Tossi on a grounder to end the eighth.
Andrew McCutchen led off the bottom of the first inning with his seventh home run of the season for Pittsburgh.