Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes receives standing ovation from rival Cardinals fans as Olivia Dunne's boyfriend continues impressive start to MLB career

MLB rookie Paul Skenes received a standing ovation from rival Cardinals fans amid the Pirates' 2-1 win over St. Louis.  

The star pitcher allowed five hits and struck out eight over 6 1/3 scoreless innings, exiting to a standing ovation at Busch Stadium Tuesday night. 

Skenes, who is dating LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, tossed 103 pitches, the most over his first six starts of his career, which began when he was called up to the majors last month. 

The No 1 draft pick, who is one of baseball's greatest pitching prospects, has become an immediate sensation for long-suffering Pirates fans. 

Last week, he impressively withstood the pressure of facing the Los Angeles Dodgers $700million man, Shohei Ohtani.

Yet, he showed no fear against the star, who signed a 10-year, $700-million-dollar deal with the Dodgers in the offseason, striking him out with three straight 100-plus mph heaters.

Dunne's boyfriend ended up striking out seven more at-bats over five innings, as the Pirates defeated the Dodgers, 10-6, at home. 

'His stuff... that first at-bat... was really good,' Ohtani said of Skenes. 'I couldn't put together good swings, but overall just really good stuff.' 

The LSU alum's girlfriend has been a frequent presence at Pirates games, even admitting she gets more nervous for her man than she does at her own events.

'I get more nervous watching Paul because it's just different when you're not doing it and you're not in control,' Dunne said in a video posted by Bleacher Report Tuesday. 

'But I am confident in his abilities and I kinda channel those nerves into excitement for him,' she went on.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model laughed when she was asked if Skenes also gets more nervous for her than he does ahead of his own games. 

'I honestly don't know anyone that thinks the way he does. I genuinely don't know what he would say,' she replied.

The young couple started dating while attending LSU in Baton Rouge, and made their romance public in 2023.