Livvy Dunne saw her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, polish off one of the best rookie seasons in MLB history last month, which was special in and of itself.
But there was an unexpected bonus: everything transpired right in Dunne’s backyard.
Dunne may be an LSU gymnast, but she is from Westwood, New Jersey.
Skenes’ final start of the 2024 season was at Yankee Stadium, only 15 miles from Dunne’s hometown and a stadium Dunne had been numerous times before to dating an MLB All-Star.
Dunne described it as a “full-circle moment.”
“That was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had. Despite the rain, I had to fly back to school the next day. It was undeniably a time crunch. “But I had a great time,” Dunne told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “It was a very weird situation to watch him return to New York, to be in New York with him, and to see him throw against the Yankees. I believe I teared up while watching that.
The Pittsburgh Pirates took the right-handed pitcher with the first overall pick last year, and he dominated the minors before being promoted to the majors in May. His dominance earned him an All-Star selection and a spot as the National League’s starting pitcher.
In the first inning, he struck out Juan Soto with a 100-mph two-seamer before wiping out presumptive MVP Aaron Judge with a terrible breaking ball.
He only pitched one more inning, but his final pitch of the season was a devastating two-seamer to Jazz Chisholm Jr., which the Yankees’ third baseman stared at for strike three. Skenes went six up and six down in his final outing.
Skenes finished his debut MLB season with a 1.96 ERA, the lowest among pitchers with 100 or more innings pitched. It is also the lowest average by a rookie in the live-ball era (since 1920). He also struck out 11.5 batters per nine innings, with a WHIP of 0.95.
The 22-year-old is ineligible for the ERA title because pitchers must pitch one inning each game (usually 162 innings), yet he only pitched 133 this season.
That will most certainly keep him from winning the Cy Young Award, but he is already an ace and will be in contention for a long time.
Perhaps Dunne has a rooting interest in the World Series, as the Yankees will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
