Paul Skenes, Olivia Dunne’s boyfriend, is expected to debut in MLB after a strong AAA performance
It looks like the boyfriend of LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne may soon play in Major League Baseball.
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Paul Skenes, 21, as their first pick in the MLB Draft of 2023.
Skenes made his AAA debut last week when he was assigned by the Pirates to the Indianapolis Indians.
He struck out five batters while pitching three scoreless innings.
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Senior writers Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis agreed that Skenes’ time in Major League Baseball was coming on MLB.com, but they couldn’t agree on a specific date.
When the Colorado Rockies visit Pittsburgh on May 3, Mayo anticipates the right-hander making his debut.
“I think it’s just a matter of getting him some pro innings and getting him stretched out,” Mayo said.
“He’s yet to throw more than three innings, so he’s going to need a few more starts.”
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Callis concurred that Skenes would play in MLB in May, but not until later.
“When this game was originally brought up yesterday, I picked May 22, but I’m going to go with a couple days after Jonathan’s guess,” Callis noted.
“I think Jonathan is on to something. If the Pirates get off to another hot start, then I think they’re going to want to keep building on that.
“If they start to falter a little bit, then I think it will be closer to May 22.
“But I like Jonathan’s guess, I think it will be closer to May 3 than my original guess of May 22.”
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Pittsburgh will host the San Francisco Giants on May 22.
Skenes had amazing stats as a junior at LSU the previous year.
In the 19 games he started, he went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts.
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Skenes served at the Air Force Academy for two years before attending LSU.
Olivia Dunne, Skenes’ girlfriend, was also met at LSU.
Since August 2023, Dunne and Skenes have been in a relationship.
