Gymnast Olivia “Livvy” Dunne mockingly addressed her boyfriend Paul Skenes’s Rookie of the Year (ROTY) award.
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher was able to beat San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio for the National League Rookie of the Year Award on November 18.
The winners were announced Monday night on MLB Network. In footage from the broadcast, Dunne appears overjoyed and hugs Skene after his name is called; meanwhile, the pitcher maintains a stoic expression, barely reacting.
Dunne later re-posted a meme that showed the same image of Skenes looking unfazed from the broadcast labeled with different emotions. “Paul Skenes happy,” one image of the pitcher read. “Paul Skenes sad. Paul Skenes angry. Paul Skenes surprised. Paul Skenes frustrated. Paul Skenes winning ROTY.”
The gymnast went on to delete the meme without providing an explanation for why. She also posted on a clip of the moment it was announced that Skenes won on TikTok with the caption: “ROTY slay.”
Many people turned to the comments section to joke about Skenes’s reaction to the prestigious award. “And then he’s like ‘Great. Can we go?’” one commenter wrote.
“Looks like yall had an argument before it was announced,” one comment read, to which Dunne replied: “He just the king of nonchalant.
Another commenter probed further: “That’s not nonchalant. That’s uninterested.” Dunne chimed in one last time to respond: “U dating him?”
@livvy ROTY slay💅🏼❤️ @MLB #baseball #mlb #roty
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The Rookie of the Year announcement came just a few days after the Pirates announced they would be offering various perks, including 30 years worth of season tickets, to one fan who can locate Skenes’s rare rookie card.
“We’d love to bring this card home to PNC Park to share with all Buccos fans,” the team wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The offer includes 30 years’ worth of season tickets for two guests behind home plate, a softball game for 30 people at PNC Park in Pittsburgh with coaching from Pirates alumni, two autographed Skenes jerseys, and the opportunity to participate in batting practice and warm-up with the team during their spring training.
The pitcher’s girlfriend then announced another addition to the perks package. “Let’s raise the stakes... the person who finds the card can sit with me at a Pirates game in my suite,” Dunne wrote on X/Twitter.
The card is part of the 2024 Topps Chrome Update set released this week. The trading card and collectible company debuted a pack of baseball cards featuring new players in the MLB this season. Skenes’s card includes both his autograph and the MLB debut patch he wore on his jersey during his first regular-season game.
According to a post from Topps on X/Twitter, the card will only be in one pack. “This card can be found in one lucky pack of 2024 Topps Chrome Update, releasing November 13,” the post read.
