Paul Skenes is among baseball's best young talents and one of the most-hyped pitchers to reach the majors in recent memory. Livvy Dunne is among the most popular social media stars in the world today. Together, they form one of the sports world's biggest power couples.
On Tuesday, Skenes will start the MLB All-Star Game for the National League. He's only the fifth rookie to ever start the game, and the entire baseball world is set to be energized by Skenes stepping into the spotlight on the national stage.
Dunne was quick to celebrate Skenes' selection to the All-Star Game, which came just two months after the 22-year-old arrived in the majors.
Livvy Dunne surprised Paul Skenes after he became an All-Star 🥹💛
— MLB (@MLB) July 8, 2024
(via @livvydunne) pic.twitter.com/uRiUDJuj0S
Skenes and Dunne are one of the most popular couples in professional sports, but how did their relationship go from college to the big leagues? Here's what you need to know.
MORE: Everything to know about Skenes' wait to reach the majors
Paul Skenes-Livvy Dunne dating timeline
June 2023: It all starts the way so many relationships begin: in college. Skenes and Dunne both were athletes at LSU, with Skenes on the baseball team as a junior and Dunne as a gymnast with the Tigers for her entire athletic career.
Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the two met when Skenes' friend was dating Dunne's roommate, Elena Marenas, and connected the star pitcher to the viral gymnast.
"Just a small-world type of thing," Skenes said.
There is no exact timeline for when the two first met, though Dunne could be seen wearing a Skenes' shirsey during the Tigers' College World Series run in June 2023.
August 2023: Skenes confirmed to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he was dating the social media star in an interview. Dunne went viral cheering for Skenes while he was pitching for Bradenton, and he said it "does irk me" that she can't just casually go to a game and enjoy it, though he noted he doesn't have control over it.
"I’m sure it'll get better as I go up levels, but that's something I want for her," Skenes told the PPG.
Per the Post-Gazette, Dunne had been sitting behind home plate at LECOM Park, but she was surrounded by fans and ultimately watched the rest of the contest in the broadcast booth.
"It’s nice, for sure," Skenes said, per the Post-Gazette. "It can be a pain in the butt sometimes, to be honest, in terms of actually going somewhere. If one of us went out in Baton Rouge [La.] by ourselves, there's probably gonna be someone there asking for something — picture, autograph, whatever."
Though Dunne is most popular through social media, Skenes said in August 2023 he deliberately tries to avoid being on social media, keeping the apps off his phone and only posting while at his laptop. He also noted he doesn't read anything about him or Dunne.
"I wasn't on it during the season because it’s toxic," Skenes said. "When you see something positive about you or something negative, it doesn’t matter. There's no substance to it. It can't help."
November 2023: Dunne said of her relationship to People magazine with Skenes that initially the goal was for the relationship to be kept private, but that photos and videos of the two out in public together led to the relationship going public.
It has since become a balancing act to keep the private life and influencer life as separate as possible.
"I've definitely learned over the past few years that, this past year mostly, that keeping certain things private is okay," Dunne told People.
December 2023: The two enjoyed a date in New York City, with Skenes posting on Instagram just before the holidays several pictures of the pair in the Big Apple, including going on a helicopter ride and taking their dog for a ride.
March 2024: When baseball season resumed, Dunne was back to watching Skenes pitch wherever she could. She posted a video to TikTok of herself watching Skenes pitch in a spring training prospects exhibition game against the Orioles on March 15.
May 2024: Skenes gets the call up to the majors. Dunne posted the viral TikTok celebrating her boyfriend's call-up to the show.
She also posted another picture of the two of them headed to Pittsburgh as they prepared for his debut on Saturday.
Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne have arrived in Pittsburgh 💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/QLsXyWIOWK
— MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2024
