Why Olivia Dunne Missed Paul Skenes’s World Baseball Classic Debut

Paul Skenes’s No. 1 fan was noticeably absent from the stands as Team U.S.A. dominated Mexico in the World Baseball Classic on Monday, March 9. His girlfriend, retired gymnast Olivia Dunne, was unable to make it to the game at Daikin Park in Houston, she revealed on Instagram, because she had to work.

The 23-year-old content creator took to both Instagram and TikTok to explain her lack of attendance to fans yesterday. “Getting excited to watch your bf rep the USA,” read the on-screen text as Dunne, clad in a patriotic red tracksuit, held up a Skenes jersey and danced around joyfully.

The clip then cut to the New Jersey native is a professional-looking workwear ensemble, complete with a white top, black pants, glasses and a small bag tucked under her arm. “Misses game,” the text overlay continued.

“Ya girl had work but… GO USA RAHHH 🦅🗣️🇺🇸 #usa #baseball #wbc #sports,” Dunne explained in her caption.

While Dunne did not specify what gig in particular kept her away from her beau’s WBC debut, Skenes had an incredible game. Not only did Team U.S.A. beat Mexico by a score of 5-3, Skenes started the game and pitched four scoreless innings and struck out seven batters.

“Paul pitched great. You missed a good game Livvy,” one of Dunne’s 5.3 million followers commented.

“He looked great out there,” someone else concurred.

“Did the acting career start for you?” one person inquired. Over Super Bowl weekend, Dunne shared that she has been taking acting lessons, so a Hollywood debut is not totally out of the question.

“the s in USA stands for skenes,” another user quipped.

Earlier this week, Dunne spoke with People about the nature of her long-distance relationship with the 2025 Cy Young Award winner, and how the two, who have been together since their days at LSU, try to make time for each other as much as possible.

“Honestly, I don’t think we have any rules,” Dunne told the outlet. “I just think being super present with one another while you’re together, while you have that time together, is super important.”

The athletic power couple have been linked since 2023, when they met through mutual friends. At the time, Dunne was a member of the LSU gymnastics team, while Skenes, who now pitches for the Pittsburgh Pirates, played baseball for the Tigers.

“I mean, he makes time to come to my events,” she added. “I make time to go watch him pitch. I try to make every start I can.”

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