One of the most consequential decisions a baseball manager can make is when to pull their starting pitcher. Livvy Dunne thinks Pittsburgh Pirates skipper Derek Shelton got it wrong when he pulled her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, during a game against the Chicago Cubs.
Dunne’s boyfriend and Pirates rookie phenom Skenes, 22, started the Wednesday, August 28, Game and his team led by seven runs after five innings. With Skenes at 82 pitches, Shelton did not let him return to the field for the sixth inning. Relief pitcher Kyle Nicolas came on instead, and promptly gave up two runs before the Pirates’ bullpen imploded and a 10-3 lead turned into a 14-10 loss.
Dunne, 21, posted a GIF of Skenes on the mound, mouthing the words, “You gotta be kidding me.”
In his first year as a Pirate, Skenes has taken the Major Leagues by storm, earning the role of starting pitcher for the National League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Game — a rarity for a rookie.
There’s a lot that Shelton must balance, however, in determining when to pull him from a game. 82 pitches isn’t a groundbreaking stat, but Skenes already approaching the 122 innings he pitched last year for LSU (where he met Dunne, a gymnast for the Tigers).
While Shelton hasn’t explained why he pulled Skenes, it’s likely that it was more important to Shelton to not risk a player injury in the Game than to let him keep pitching and tire himself out.
For Shelton’s part, Pirates beat writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Noah Hiles, reported the Pittsburgh manager was “the most upset” he’d seen him all season.
“It’s frustrating. It’s about as frustrated as I’ve been,” Shelton told the outlet. “We’ve got to execute. You cannot have a 10-3 Game in the seventh inning and give up 11 runs. We’ve got to be better.”
His frustration may not appease Dunne — or other Pirates fans — during what has been a lost season. Dunne’s post racked up nearly 2,000 reposts in the two hours after it went live and “Livvy” began trending on X.
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Score 62% Best-Selling Tiered Dress That’s Perfect for Fall! View DealSports outlet Jomboy Media responded with a photo of Dunne dressed as her boyfriend at last week’s Fanatics Fest, complete with a Pirates uniform and fake mustache.
“This is who they should have had pitching in relief today,” the post read.
The good news? MLB teams play 162 games, meaning the Pirates will have a chance to put the loss out of their mind on Friday, August 30, when they take the field next against the Cleveland Guardians.
