The Pirates handed Paul Skenes the run support that any front-of-the-rotation starter needs on the eve of his 23rd birthday. The bats continued to be hot on Wednesday, May 28, adding to their victory after overcoming a 5-0 deficit on Monday, May 26, to defeat the Diamondbacks and win the series 2-1, with a 10-1 victory at Chase Field.
While the Pirates pitcher had fun on the field, he is also having fun off the field with his longtime girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, in the waters of California.
Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes Enjoy the Pirate Star’s Birthday
Dunne, a former LSU gymnast, recently posted a couple of photos that showed us exactly what the happy couple did on Skenes’ 23rd birthday on May 29. Dunne posted a selfie of herself, tagging her location as San Diego, the location of the Pirates’ next series.
The next story she put up was of the birthday boy enjoying the serene seas in a yacht. While the 23-year-old enjoys the calm now, for Skenes and the Pirates, May has presented some difficulties. For one, the team changed the management.
Derek Shelton was removed from his managerial responsibilities by the Pirates. This move was anticipated as the team had dropped lower in the National League Central. The decision followed after a very poor start for the Pirates, who had just lost their seventh consecutive game, falling to 12-26.
The squad is still working to get out of the hole they made for themselves early on. Additionally, Skenes struggled to enter the win column. During his Rookie of the Year performance the previous season, he only suffered three losses.
Skenes’ excursion against the D-backs included a variety of his strong points. He pitched 6.2 scoreless innings, striking out seven and allowing no walks. On average, the four-seamer reached 98.2 mph. He got several whiffs on each of the six pitches he threw, except for his curveball, which he only threw three times.
It served as a demonstration of his range on the mound as he transitioned from an early-season Cy Young favorite to a serious contender for the award.
He left to a standing ovation from the Pirate supporters behind the visitor’s dugout, demonstrating how much the people who traveled to see him valued it. But because of the Pirates’ sluggish start to the season, there is some conjecture in the league that Skenes might be traded come July.
“It’s not at all part of the conversation,” said general manager Ben Cherington.
Events like Wednesday serve as a reminder of why he is a good guy to work with. He has pitched to a 2.03 ERA in his career and is 23 years old (just a few hours ago).
Dutch Leonard was the only pitcher with a lower ERA over at least 200 innings pitched since earned runs were made an official statistic in 1913.