PITTSBURGH Pirates prodigy Paul Skenes is finally ready to make his MLB debut.
LSU’s first overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, pitcher Skenes has had to wait his turn, working his way through the minors since being selected.
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However, on Wednesday it was announced that Pirates had called up the 21-year-old for his long-awaited debut.
Skenes is expected to take the mound on Saturday, May 11 when they host the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park.
The news was revealed on X, formerly known as Twitter, where the Pirates shared a highlight reel of Skenes in team gear along with the caption “5.11.24.”
His girlfriend, LSU gymnast and social media sensation Olivia Dunne, took to TikTok to celebrate the big news.
Read more about Olivia Dunne
“POV: You wake up from a nap and find out he’s in the MLB,” she wrote in the caption. a reel showing her dancing in a hotel room alongside an apparently unconscious Skenes.
Dunne then turned to Skenes before jumping up in celebration.
The happy couple has since headed to their new home, with Dunne sharing a selfie on her Instagram Stories of them together in the back of a car with the caption “Hello, Pittsburgh.”
She followed up with another photo of Skenes in the driver’s seat pointing toward PNC Park.
On Saturday, Skenes will have to make sure he is full of calories before the game.
Pitchers who throw with Skenes’ speed can burn up to 5,000 calories in a single game, according to ESPN.
Fortunately, Skenes appears to have a pregame ritual to combat these demands.
Before LSU’s victory in the 2023 College World Series, Skenes told the NCAA Michelle Chester that he eats chicken Alfredo before every ride.
“I tried it in the preseason and I just didn’t run out of energy, because that was something I was struggling with in the fall and winter, and I just stuck with it,” he explained.
“I’ve eaten on every ride. A few weeks ago we had a rain delay and I ate two chicken Alfredos”
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While at LSU, Skenes also found another way to combat fatigue during games.
After arriving from the Air Force Academy in 2021, pitching coach Wes Johnson suggested Skenes take shots of honey to help prevent fatigue, according to ESPN.
“Paul was facing half a bear a game,” Johnson told the network, in reference to the popular bear-shaped honey bottles.
Skenes’ debut follows an extremely promising start to the season for Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis.
DUNNE AND SKENES’ SUMMER OF LOVE
Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes managed to keep their relationship a secret before finally going public last summer.
The two met at LSU, but it’s unclear when they started dating.
Rumors of a romance began when Dunne watched LSU win the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, last summer.
And Dunne posted selfies from Fort Myers, Fla., where Skenes was playing.
He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and began his professional career playing in the minor leagues in the Sunshine State.
The final clue came when Dunne posed in a Pirates cap before the pair finally went public.
In seven games, he totaled 45 strikeouts, eight walks, 17 hits allowed, with a 0.99 ERA.
Skenes has yet to pitch more than 75 times in a game this season for the Indians.
Right-handed, his fastballs ranged between 97 and 161 miles per hour, with an average of 99.9, according to USA today.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
