No one seemed happier for Paul Skene’s AL Rookie of the Year win than his girlfriend Olivia Dunne – but it didn’t stop things from getting slightly awkward.
The LSU gymnast and social media star let out a small celebratory yell and clapped enthusiastically when it was announced on MLB Network that the Pirates ace had claimed the award on Monday night.
Skenes, on the other hand, was mostly stoic with a grin and a few head nods in reaction to the somewhat expected news as the two sat on a brown leather couch with a fireplace roaring in the background as Cal Ripkin Jr. made things official.
“Congratulations, babe,” Dunne said as the two embraced – Skenes putting his flamethrowing right arm around her shoulder and back.
But as Dunne then moved in for a kiss they didn’t seem to be on the same page on whether it was going to be on the lips or the cheek.
As Skenes got close to her, Dunne turned her right cheek toward her boyfriend but then had to quickly reroute so the right-hander could go over her left side and kiss on the shoulder.
It was a rare misstep by Skenes, 22, who absolutely dominated in his first MLB season, which also came with a start in the All-Star Game for the National League.
He went 11-3 with a sparkling 1.96 ERA over 133 innings with 170 strikeouts and a 2.45 WHIP.
That came after leading LSU to the national championship and being selected No. 1 overall in the draft.
Dunne, 22, and Skenes met at LSU and began dating in the summer of 2023 and have become one of the most recognizable couples in sports.
Dunne, who helped LSU gymnastics to a national championship in 2024, has one of the highest NIL evaluations of any college athlete at $4 million to go with her eight million followers on TikTok and 5.4 million on Instagram.
She posted a photo celebrating Skenes’ Rookie of the Year with the caption of “Oh my goodnessss” and a heart emoji.
