Paul Skenes penned the final chapter to a brilliant sophomore season on Wednesday.
The Pittsburgh Pirates ace threw six more shutout innings in a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Although Skenes didn’t get a win, keeping his final 2025 record at 10-10, he lowered his ERA to 1.97 while tallying the most single-season strikeouts by a right-handed Pirates pitcher (216).
Skenes’ famous girlfriend, LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, said what many Pirates fans were thinking following his final appearance of the 2025 campaign.
“Best szn I did ever see,” Dunne wrote on social media.
Skenes didn’t encounter many obstacles this season. Wednesday marked the 12th start in which he didn’t yield a run, and that doesn’t include two where he only allowed one unearned run.
Story continues below advertisement
Yet the Sports Net Pittsburgh broadcast showed Dunne anxiously watching at Great American Ball Park as Skenes protected a 1-0 lead in a pitcher’s duel against Reds ace Hunter Greene.
“Can’t blame a gal for being nervous,” Dunne said on Instagram.
Skenes didn’t miss a single turn during his first full major league season, pitching 187 2/3 innings in 32 starts. The 2023 draft’s No. 1 pick started his second consecutive All-Star Game and actually improved in the second half with a 1.89 ERA and 27.7 strikeout minus walk percentage.
Story continues below advertisement
The 2024 Rookie of the Year will likely receive another accolade. The other five starting pitchers to post an ERA under 2.00 in the last decade all won the Cy Young Award, so Skenes seems poised to take home the honor.
Concluding the season was a bittersweet moment for Skenes. The 23-year-old isn’t ready to go home, per MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf.
“I wanted to savor it knowing this was my last outing of the year,” Skenes said. “I won’t be doing that again for six months or so. It’s kind of a tough realization. The past few days have been pretty tough for me, knowing that. Nice to have it over with. Wish I could keep pitching, just for the joy of pitching. The sub-2 is a nice little byproduct of it, I guess.”
More MLB: Paul Skenes Sets Pirates Strikeout Record To Cap Off Historic Season
Story continues below advertisement
Featured image via Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images