Paul Skenes made his long-awaited MLB debut on May 11, 2024, against the Chicago Cubs. Skenes was drafted first overall in last year’s draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates and has been dominating in the minor leagues with a .99 ERA(earned run average), 3 earned runs, 17 hits, and 45 strikeouts in only 27.1 innings pitched. Skenes was pulled up from the Indianapolis Indians and activated to the Pirates roster. With lots of nerves racing Skenes threw 4 innings, 6 strikeouts, and allowed 3 runs. Skenes threw 17 pitches that were over 100 mph. It was not the best outing for Skenes, but this is very common for an MLB debut. 

Skenes had lots of family in attendance to support his debut. One of them is his girlfriend Livvy Dunne, a well-known social media influencer and LSU gymnast. Livvy said, “I have so many amazing memories with him, but I know how hard he has worked for this moment,” Dunne shared in the interview. “Seriously, there’s nothing that can top this. I’m just so proud.” Livvy and the rest of Skenes’ family are very proud of him and how far he’s come with his baseball career. There was also a crowd of 34,924 fans in attendance to witness Skene’s Major League debut according to Sports Business Journal. 

Skenes should have a bright future ahead of him as he’s still very young, only 21 years old. Skenes continues to put in the work and learn from his experiences of playing at a high level. Skenes should continue to get starts for the Pirates and develop as a player as he gets more experience playing against the best of the best. Fans are going to continue to show up and support Skenes as he’s an electrifying player to watch. It’s going to be exciting to see where the first overall pick’s career takes him.