Livvy Dunne had a perfect TikTok to celebrate Pirates calling up Paul Skenes
By Lior Lampert
At last, we are less than 24 hours away from the long-awaited MLB debut of transcendent pitching prospect and 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and no one seems more hyped than his girlfriend -- LSU gymnast and social media influencer Livvy Dunne.
Skenes will make his first career start on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, which you can find out how to watch for free on MLB TV here. His No. 1 fan, Dunne, will be in attendance, and it appears she may even be more excited than he is from what we've seen on her recent TikTok video celebrating her boyfriend getting called up to the big leagues.
Livvy Dunne's reaction to Paul Skenes getting called up to the Pirates 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/cXbBWnqEV3
— MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2024
Livvy Dunne had a perfect TikTok to celebrate the Pirates calling up Paul Skenes
"POV: you both wake up from a nap and find out he's in the MLB," Dunne captioned her post as she danced and twirled with a massive smile, giving us a quick sneak peek at Skenes in the background at the end of the clip.
Dunne has north of 8 million followers on TikTok, so the video garnered plenty of attention on social media -- exceeding 3.5 million views and receiving over 400,000 likes on the platform.
It is hard to think of better news to wake up to than being informed you are getting promoted to fulfill a lifelong dream. But Skenes has earned the opportunity to be in this position and pitch against the Cubs on Saturday, so this should come as no surprise.
Skenes, 21, has generated buzz as a generational talent since he shattered SEC record books in his lone season at LSU in 2023 en route to guiding the club to a national championship. He throws the ball as consistently hard as any pitcher in baseball, possessing a lethal fastball/slider combination that makes batters routinely miss.
After lighting up the Triple-A, where he had a 0.99 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and a laughable 45-to-8 strikeout/walk ratio through 27.1 innings pitched across seven starts, the Pirates saw enough to from Skenes to call him up to make his inaugural major league appearance. And Dunne perfectly encapsulates how everyone in Pittsburgh feels about her boyfriend taking the mound at PNC Park on Saturday.
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