Just days after delivering a strong Opening Day performance in Miami, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes is going viral for something other than his arm. TheMLB posted a polished photo of Skenes with his girlfriendOlivia Dunne and their dog, Roux, captioning it, “Paul Skenes, Livvy Dunne, and Roux stun for GQ .” The reaction? Let’s just say the internet had jokes.
Instead of gushing over the couple, fans zeroed in on Skenes’ facial expression, suggesting he looked anything but thrilled. “He looks like he’d rather be anywhere else,” read one of the top comments. Another chimed in: “This man is being held hostage by photo ops.”
The trolling picked up steam quickly, with memes flooding Reddit and Barstool Sports’ Instagram. Fans imagined Skenes sitting through Dunne’s camera roll, helping pick the best angle-an image that clearly entertained the masses. “You just know he had to approve like 48 options,” joked one commenter. Others went further, calling the pic a “cry for help.”
From the pitcher’s mound to the meme machine: Skenes caught in the comment crossfire
The irony? Just days earlier, Skenes was in total control on the mound. The 22-year-old struck out seven Marlins in 5.1 innings, allowing only three hits and one run-living up to the sky-high expectations after a rookie season where he posted a 1.96 ERA. And in the stands for every pitch? Dunne, rocking a Pirates cap and live-posting Skenes’ first strikeout on her Instagram story: “First K of the szn.”
Dunne herself is recovering from an injury-a fractured patella that’s kept her out of LSU gymnastics-but that hasn’t slowed her down on social media. Her mix of sports stardom and influencer status draws a massive following. But with that spotlight comes the occasional backlash.
Neither Skenes nor Dunne has addressed the trolling, and maybe they won’t. The couple has dealt with plenty of online noise before. But whether it’s MLB dominance or dog pics gone wrong, there’s no denying: wherever these two go, the internet follows.
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