Livvy Dunne says cheering for Paul Skenes from the stands can feel a lot more stressful than any competition she faced at LSU. The gymnast turned social media star is a frequent presence at Pittsburgh Pirates games, but when Skenes is on the mound, she is not exactly kicking back and enjoying the view.
Dunne said the nerves hit fast because she has no control over what happens once the pitch leaves his hand. That is a big shift for someone used to controlling her own performance, and she made it clear that sitting and watching is its own kind of pressure.
“Obviously, I think I got put on blast a few times while watching him,” Dunne said during an appearance on MLB Network with Skenes. “I get nervous because I obviously want him to do his best. I love him. He usually pops out, does his thing, does amazing. But I feel every emotion while he’s out there doing his thing.”
She added, “It’s completely out of my control, which is really hard because while I was competing, I mean, I was in control of my own destiny. Now I just need to sit back, relax and trust him.”
Dunne has already had one reaction that made the rounds online after Skenes gave up a home run to Toronto Blue Jays star George Springer. She was seen mouthing a frustrated expletive, and that moment only highlighted how invested she gets during his starts.
That kind of intensity makes sense when you look at how often she shows up to support him. Dunne has become a regular face at Pirates games, and she does not hide how locked in she is when Skenes is working through a lineup and trying to dominate on the mound.
Her interest in his stuff even went beyond the stands during the offseason. Before Skenes left for spring training, Dunne stepped into the batter’s box to get a firsthand look at what he brings, and she quickly learned that seeing his pitches from that angle is no joke.
“I think all offseason Paul wanted me to stand in while he was pitching. I’ve been procrastinating all offseason because it’s scary and everybody told me it would be very scary,” Dunne said.
“It was the last day of the offseason before he went to spring training and he was like, ‘Nope, come. You’re going to stand there.’ And I thought he was joking, and I stood and I was frozen.”
Skenes did not exactly hold back either. He said he buzzed her tower, which meant he fired a high and inside pitch her way, and the whole thing became a test of whether she really wanted the experience or just liked the idea of it.
“She had been asking me, too. She wanted to see it, or she said she wanted to see it, and then time comes, we got to see if you’re about it,” Skenes said.
The dynamic between the two has become one of those sports stories that feels bigger than just baseball. Dunne brings the kind of energy that turns heads, while Skenes keeps dealing on the mound, and together they have turned game nights into something fans watch with a little extra curiosity.
Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, has remained a major reason the Pirates are still in the National League Wild Card race. His 8-8 record and 3.57 ERA show both the grind of the season and the value he brings every time he takes the ball.
Even with the spotlight growing brighter, Dunne keeps showing up and letting the emotions show. Whether she is grimacing, gasping, or just freezing up in the batter’s box, she makes it obvious that every Skenes start comes with a little drama of its own.
