Paul Skenes’ Impressive Season and Cheer from Olivia Dan
Olivia “Livivy” Dan was spotted supporting her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, as he wrapped up an impressive sophomore season, finishing with a 2.00 ERA during a 4-3 win against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.
Watching from a private suite at Great American Ballpark, Dan seemed to experience a mix of excitement and nervousness, likely capturing the moment on her phone based on social media videos.
She shared the moment on her Instagram, humorously commenting, “You can’t blame a gal for being nervous.”
Skenes delivered a strong performance, pitching six shutout innings, contributing to the Pirates’ eventual 4-3 victory in extra innings.
In another clip, Dan, a Sports Illustrated model, was seen enjoying a Miller Lite while cheering for Skenes. She wrote on her Instagram story, “The best SZN I’ve ever seen.”
The 23-year-old right-hander concluded his season with a 1.97 ERA, a notable achievement since Dwight Gooden’s 1.53 with the Mets back in 1985.
Reflecting on his ERA, Skenes mentioned, “I’ve got a Sub-2 ERA. It feels great but… I don’t know. I don’t think it says much about the mentality for what follows.” He added, “I wasn’t focused on numbers during the game; I just wanted to win.”
Having helped the LSU Tigers secure a national title in 2023, Skenes joked about his previous season’s performance being slightly better: “Yeah, I’m a hundredth of a point worse than last year. Just kidding. It’s cool. I’m not setting numerical or statistical goals for this year; it’s more about doing what I need to do.”
Skenes also achieved a franchise record for the most strikeouts by a right-handed pitcher, surpassing teammate Mitch Keller’s previous record of 210, reaching a total of 216.
Despite Skenes’ outstanding season, the Pirates ended with a disappointing 69-89 record, landing last in the NL Central and missing the playoffs.
“I wanted to make the most of my last outing of the year. It’s tough knowing it’ll be a while before I pitch again,” Skenes admitted. “I wish I could keep playing just for the love of it. Achieving a Sub-2 ERA is just a small result of that passion.”
