Pittsburgh Pirates phenom Paul Skenes took home NL Rookie of the Year honors on Monday night — but it was an odd moment with girlfriend Livvy Dunne that really got people talking.
After baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. announced Skenes, 22, as the winner live on MLB Network, girlfriend Dunne, 22, who was sitting by Skenes’ side, appeared to go in for an enthusiastic hug.
Skenes, however, appeared to try kissing Dunne, resulting in an uncomfortable embrace on national television.
A noticeably more chipper Dunne said, “I’m so proud of you,” while Skenes sat next to her on the couch without showing much emotion at all.
“But why is this such an awkward exchange? Lol,” one of Dunne’s TikTok followers commented on a video the LSU gymnast posted of the moment.
Dunne responded, “I was nervous like AHHHH.”
The notoriously stoic Skenes told the MLB Network studio hosts that winning the award was “cool.”
He added, “The coolest part is that it puts a bow on this past year and we can kind of look forward to next year.”
Skenes, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft after his stellar collegiate career at LSU, inked a deal with the Pirates in June 2023 that included a record-setting $9.2 million signing bonus.
The baseball superstar also gushed about the support he felt all year from the city of Pittsburgh and Pirates fans.
“It’s been awesome,” Skenes said. “Just seeing the fans and seeing what Sports mean to this city. Obviously we saw it a little bit over the summer. It gives us hope to what we can do next year and have the city unite around us.”
After the MLB Network broadcast, Skenes celebrated with Dunne and multiple family members. The festivities included a baseball-themed cookie cake, which Dunne showed off via her Instagram Story.
“Just a rookie & his cookie,” she captioned the picture.
In a recent interview with Us Weekly, Dunne — who started dating Skenes in summer 2023 and will begin her senior year at LSU in January — candidly expressed the specific difficulties of a relationship between two star athletes.
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When the couple is apart, Dunne divulged they manage to stay connected in a very relatable way.
“We just FaceTime,” she said. “Just on the couch. We don’t even need to be talking. We just like to be in each other’s digital presence. It’s wonderful.”
