Paul Skenes had a nightmare start to his 2026 season. The Pirates pitcher threw 37 pitches, recording 26 strikes against the New York Mets. He was immediately pulled. As the camera panned to the 23-year-old on the bench, he looked more disappointed than frustrated. Pittsburgh fans, meanwhile, brought up his long-time girlfriend Olivia Dunne into their reactions.
‘Olivia Dunne worried’
While Dunne, an LSU gymnastics alum and SI swimsuit model, did not react to Skenes’ poor show vs Mets, several fans noted that she will be ‘utterly disappointed’.
“i’d be worried if i was Olivia Dunne,” one fan wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Breaking: Olivia Dunne has now moved on…. and you won’t guess with whom?” another one wrote, sarcastically.
Paul Skenes’ reaction caught on camera
Skenes appeared lost on the bench. The camera captured his exact expression after Pittsburgh pulled him.
What happened to Paul Skenes?
The Pirates’ Opening Day quickly unraveled, and much of the damage stemmed from poor defense rather than just pitching struggles. A key moment came when center fielder Oneil Cruz misjudged a fly ball, allowing three runs to score. The miscue highlighted concerns about Pittsburgh’s defensive setup, particularly with Cruz flanked by Ryan O’Hearn and Bryan Reynolds, neither known for elite fielding.
Skenes struggles but lacks support
While Paul Skenes wasn’t at his best, his outing was compounded by the lack of defensive backing. The reigning National League Cy Young winner walked two batters and recorded just one strikeout, struggling to settle into a rhythm.
Still, the inability to rely on routine plays behind him only worsened the situation.
Skenes failed to escape the first inning, throwing 37 pitches before being pulled with the Pirates trailing 5-2.
What Paul Skenes said before Opening Day
“We want to win the division. We want to make the playoffs. That’s it. How we do that, who knows?” he said Wednesday.
“I don’t want to put a number of games out there because that’s just putting a ceiling on us. We’ve got to go out there and play well every day.”
