Paul Skenes: Paul Skenes’ girlfriend Olivia Dunne shows off game-day look while rooting for boyfriend during Pirates' showdown vs. Reds

Olivia Dunne rocked up to the Great American Ball Park on Wednesday, September 24, to support Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes in his final start of the season. The former LSU gymnast has been a regular presence at MLB ballparks this year, cheering on both the Pirates and her boyfriend.

That same day, Dunne shared her game-day look on Instagram, pairing a chic white top with denim jeans as she rooted for Skenes from the stands.

"LFG," Dunne captioned her story, tagging the Pirates ace.

Screenshot via Olivia Dunne's Instagram (@livvydunne)

Before taking the mound on Wednesday night, Skenes and Dunne, who met during their time at LSU, played chess. Dunne shared a glimpse of their game on Instagram.

Paul Skenes makes history against Reds with girlfriend Olivia Dunne in the stands

Skenes has played at a high level, but the Pirates have failed to capitalize on their ace's historic season. Making his last start of the season, the pro baseball pitcher was up against the Reds' Hunter Greene.

The duo was involved in an intense battle from the mound, both going scoreless in the first three innings. However, the Pirates got the better of Greene in the fourth and sixth innings to score two runs.

Meanwhile, Paul Skenes shut out the Reds over six innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven hitters. His scoreless outing etched his name in the history books as the two-time All-Star became the first Pirates pitcher to finish the regular season with an ERA under 2.00.

The Pirates ace is the first pitcher to reach the milestone since Justin Verlander in 2022. Skenes is one of 51 pitchers to post a sub-2.00 ERA since 1920. His league-best 1.97 ERA further solidifies his case for a maiden NL Cy Young award.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash