Watch: Olivia Dunne smiles as Paul Skenes recalls humbling “pro ball moment” against Shohei Ohtani

Paul Skenes walked the MLB All-Star Game red carpet with girlfriend Olivia Dunne in Atlanta for a second consecutive year. Ahead of his second start for the NL in the Midsummer Classic, Skenes shared his "pro ball moment" from his rookie year.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Skenes with the first pick in the 2023 MLB draft and promoted him to the roster the following year. There were a lot of expectations on the former LSU flamethrower, and Skenes delivered.

Although he was stellar from the mound in his rookie season, he faced a slight bump when he faced Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year pointed to his duel against Ohtani as his "welcome to the pro ball moment."

"I gave up a home run to Shohei Ohtani," Skenes said. "I'm not the first one that it's happened to. That was a little different."

Dunne reacted to his answer with a smile.

Apart from his blip against one of the greatest hitters in MLB history, Skenes was largely spotless in his rookie season. He posted a 1.96 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with an 11-3 record in 23 starts that saw him win the NL Rookie of the Year award. Skenes was also one of the finalists for the NL Cy Young Award in his rookie year.

Paul Skenes helps girlfriend Olivia Dunne on MLB All-Star red carpet

Olivia Dunne has been spending more time with Paul Skenes this season after announcing her retirement from gymnastics earlier this year. She rocked up to the red carpet with Skenes for a second consecutive year and even received assistance from the Pirates flamethrower.

Skenes was seen helping Dunne with her heels on the red carpet ahead of Tuesday's All-Star game. The former LSU gymnast shared the moment on social media, writing:

“Big P to the rescue.”

Talking about the game, Skenes pitched a scoreless inning to start the All-Star contest for a second year running.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash