Paul Skenes' MLB Debut Was Huge News, And Would Have Been Without Livvy Effect | Glenn Guilbeau

Shortly after iconic actress Marilyn Monroe and iconic former New York Yankees superstar Joe Dimaggio married in 1954, Monroe left their honeymoon in Tokyo, Japan, to entertain United States troops at war in Korea before crowds of more than 100,000.

Upon her return, she told her husband, "You never heard such cheering."

DiMaggio smiled and said, "Uh, yes, I have. Every day."

In other words, DiMaggio and Monroe were very much celebrity equals.

Rookie Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, 21, made his Major League Baseball debut Saturday evening against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes pitches during a spring training game against Baltimore on Feb. 29 in Sarasota, Florida. (Getty Images)

His girlfriend is Olivia Dunne, also 21 and a nationally known superstar of social media and a former LSU gymnast who was part of the Tigers' national championship last month. She has competed in front of tens of thousands of fans at meets. She was with him in Pittsburgh for the game. If she has ever told him, "You never heard such cheering," Skenes could say the same thing DiMaggio did.

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He has heard the roar of the crowd as well. Last June 22, Skenes struck out nine in a two-hitter over eight innings with one walk against No. 1 Wake Forest in front of 23,993 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, at the College World Series. LSU went on to win 2-0 on a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to reach the national championship series against Florida that it won two games to one for the national title.

SMASHING DEBUT: Paul Skenes Opens On Fire 

So Skenes was more than ready Saturday as more than 30,000 crowded PNC Park for his debut. He struck out the first two batters he faced - Mike Tauchman and Seiya Suzuki - with 100 mph pitches to start the game and went on to throw a pro career high 84 pitches. In all, he struck out seven with two walks in four innings while allowing six hits and three earned runs, including a home run. He left with a 6-1 lead after allowing two hits in the top of the fifth, but the Cubs tied it 6-6 in that inning off some terrible Pirates' relief pitching. Then the rains came, and the game was delayed for more than two hours before Pittsburgh eventually won, 11-10.

Paul Skenes smokes a cigar with an LSU teammate after the Tigers beat Florida for the national championship last June 26 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo By OutKick's Glenn Guilbeau). 

While Paul and Livvy are a national-championship couple. Skenes may not have close to the social media profile of Dunne yet, nor is he in any national commercials like her. He may not be as well known now. But they are likely soon to be celebrity equals as well, like Joe and Marilyn, whether they one day get married or not.

Dunne is done with gymnastics, while Skenes is just getting started on what could be a Hall of Fame MLB career, if you listen to the scouts. The lowly Pirates took him with the first pick of the Major League Baseball Draft last July and getting a $9.2 million bonus.

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And before long, the 6-foot-6, fireballing right-handed pitching Skenes will be more famous than Dunne. He will not become more famous because of Dunne like Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. His fame skyrocketed because he started dating pop music sensation Taylor Swift, who is not retiring soon. But Kelce will never surpass Swift's celebrity.

Skenes may surpass Dunne's quicker than you think. And it could all start today at PNC Park, which may be at or near capacity. He'll be ready. He got used to pitching in front of huge crowds while at LSU. Yes, he has … every day.

LSU led the nation in attendance last year with 11,188 a game at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge. Skenes struck out 12 against Tennessee in front of the largest Alex Box crowd ever - 13,068 - last season. He has long been ready for his MLB debut. 

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"This guy was ready for the Major Leagues while he was pitching for us at LSU," LSU coach Jay Johnson told MLB.com on Friday. "And baseball's in for a treat. I mean, the stuff and the talent he has are extraordinarily special. But the person, the human being, the competitor, his focus, the commitment - it's really everything you want. And he'll have a long and very successful career in Major League Baseball. He's the best."

Olivia Dunne became a social media sensation while an LSU gymnast from 2020-23. (Getty Images).

Skenes' debut was huge, national news Saturday, and it would have been even if he was not dating Dunne for the last year.

Skenes' debut was the most significant for a MLB rookie pitcher since Stephen Strasburg's for the Washington Nationals on June 8, 2010, against visiting Pittsburgh. He struck out 14 with no walks and allowed four hits through seven innings for the win in a 5-2 victory.

Strasburg became the first MLB pitcher in history to strike out at least 11 with no walks in a debut. He went on to have an excellent career, though it was marred by arm injuries and cut short.

Paul Skenes' Debut 'Like A National Holiday?'

"It's like a national holiday in baseball," ESPN's Buster Olney said on SportsCenter on Saturday morning before Skenes' debut. "This is like a baseball version of LeBron James making his debut. I had a scout say to me yesterday, ‘He’s the best pitching prospect I've ever seen.' And that's a high bar. Right away, Paul Skenes, when he takes the mound today, is going to be considered among the best pitchers in baseball, even though a year ago he was pitching for LSU. Because of the dominant stuff that he has."

Skenes threw 98 pitches at 100 mph or higher in Triple-A this season at Indianapolis, where he compiled a 0.99 earned run average in seven starts this season with 45 strikeouts in 27 and one third innings. And he was all over 100 through most of game Saturday. 

"Everybody in the sport is excited," Olney said. "It's the command. A lot of guys throw 100 mph, but it's the command. His ability to control all his pitches. The fastball, plus he's got the nasty breaking ball. Plus, he's got the changeup. He seems to physically overwhelm hitters. Just overpowers guys at the plate."   

And so it begins. There will be much more to come for years, if not decades.