Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes are not yet quite the jet set couple that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are, but they're driving to make it nonetheless.
Dunne, the former All-American gymnast with a $3.9 million NIL value who was on LSU's national championship team last month, and Skenes, the first pick of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft with a $9.2 million signing bonus, made their MLB debut Saturday in Pittsburgh.
And what a day it was of thrills and spills.
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But it had a sleepy start, so to speak. Dunne said she and Skenes were asleep in Indianapolis last Wednesday when Skenes got the call-up from the Pirates.
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"We just woke up from a nap," Dunne told Hannah Mears of the SportsNet Pittsburgh regional network as her boyfriend of more than a year dealt 100 mph pitches in the third inning at the Chicago Cubs in front of nearly 35,000 at PNC Park in downtown Pittsburgh. The stadium drew just 16,454 for the Pirates and Cubs on Friday.
"He had a few missed phone calls," Dunne said.
And one was The Call from the Pirates.
"He was like, ‘Let’s pack,'" Dunne said.
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But the pair missed the flight to Pittsburgh and had to drive the six hours from Indinapolis, where Skenes had been pitching for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians.
"And then we hit the road. It was so exciting," Dunne said.
And Pittsburgh opened its arms to the latest American iconic celebrity couple.
"It's amazing. The support here is awesome," Dunne said. "Pittsburgh has been so welcoming. The support here is unreal. I love it. Seriously, there's nothing that can top this. I'm just so proud."
Pirates rookie Paul Skenes shows his form in his Major League Baseball debut Saturday in Pittsburgh vs. the Chicago Cubs. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Skenes, who is just 21, hit 100 mph or higher on 17 of his 84 pitches through four innings. The phenom, who had a 0.99 earned run average through seven starts at Indianapolis, struck out seven in a no-decision with a daunting repertoire of fastballs, change-ups and breaking balls, including one he calls a "splinker." That's a combination of a split-finger fastball and a sinker.
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"I don't know how to throw a 100-mile-an-hour fastball," Dunne said.
But she is starting to know one when she sees one.
What has set Skenes apart is the command he has over his litany of pitches. That wasn't quite there Saturday as he was obviously pumped up more than usual for a debut that ESPN baseball expert Buster Olney compared to a national holiday.
"The fact that he didn't have everything there today and was still able to get through it was huge," Pittsburgh catcher Yasmani Grandal said in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story. "We're going to continue going, and I'm assuming he's going to have a way better second start.
Skenes' next start is expected to be against the Cubs again on Thursday (7:40 p.m., SportsNet Pittsburgh, Marquee Sports) at Wrigley Field.
"I know he's just got this, and I have a lot of confidence in him," Dunne said. Both are more likely to fly to that game.
Dunne was there in Omaha, Nebraska, last summer when Skenes helped lead LSU to the national championship at the College World Series, and she was there in person for several of his minor league starts in 2023 and this year.
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"I have so many amazing memories with him, but I know how hard he's worked for this moment - all the hours, and I just know what a hard worker he is," she said.
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes walks to the dugout after warming up before his Major League Baseball debut Saturday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Skenes was the first player picked in the 2023 MLB Draft out of national champion LSU last July. (Getty Images)
Skenes struck out the first two batters he faced Saturday - Mike Tauchman and Seiya Suzuki - as the 100 mph fastballs soared to the delight of the charged crowd. A dirty slider made Suzuki look bad on the third strike. He left with a 6-1 lead after allowing two hits to open the fifth inning. Through four complete innings, he allowed six hits and three runs around two walks and a hit batsman.
"The angle the ball's coming out of, a lot of guys don't see it," Grandal said of Skenes' slider. "So, you saw a lot of guys buckling."
But Pirates relievers blew his lead in record fashion as the Cubs tied it 6-6 in the fifth before a two-hour and 20-minute rain delay. Chicago added two more to take an 8-6 lead in the fifth after the game restarted, but Pittsburgh came back to win, 10-9. And overall, it was a great Saturday for Skenes.
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"It was really cool," he said. "Everybody talks about this stadium. It's an awesome stadium, awesome skyline. Fans are awesome. It was an awesome day."
Pittsburgh's relievers were not awesome. Kyle Nicolas relieved Skenes and proceeded to walk three batters with the bases loaded in allowing four runs.
Pittsburgh Pirates rookie pitcher Paul Skenes watches as the Pirates bullpen blew the 6-1 lead he left Pittsburgh with in the fifth inning Saturday. (Getty Images)
When the game resumed in the fifth, Pirates' relievers combined to walk six batters with the bases loaded in the same inning - the most in MLB since the Chicago White Sox walked eight times with the bases full on April 22, 1959.
Skenes was not the efficient monster he was in college and the minors. He was 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA last season at LSU with 209 strikeouts in 122 and two-thirds innings.
"I have to get them out quicker," he said. "Regardless if they're Major League hitters or not, I just have to get them out quicker."
He can use the example Livvy set in getting ready for the drive to Pittsburgh.
"All I can say is I think that's the quickest I've ever packed in my life," she said.
