Detroit Tigers mascot trolls Pirates ace Paul Skenes with Olivia Dunne shoutout -- She responds

DETROIT – Detroit Tigers mascot Paws put on a little distraction for Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes in the bottom of the second inning.

Paws sensing his hometown team needed a spark as they fell behind 3-0 during the second game of a doubleheader on Thursday (June 19), the fan-favorite decided to take matters into his own hands, literally.

With Riley Greene at the plate down one ball and two strikes, Paws held up a sign behind home plate that read, “Sup Livvy Dunne,” but Greene struck out on the next pitch.

Paws tried it again, this time while blowing a kiss to Olivia Dunne, but Skenes was not fazed as he collected another strikeout, this time against Spencer Torkelson.

The Tigers’ mascot wasn’t able to get a reaction from Skenes, but he did get a response from Dunne on X.

For those unfamiliar with the situation, Skenes is dating Duune, who happens to be a swimsuit model and former artistic gymnast for the LSU Tigers.

Not only did she respond, but Skenes did his talking on the mound as he finished the game, tossing 105 pitches, 61 of which were for strikes, with nine strikeouts, five walks, and two earned runs, while allowing three hits in six innings.

Detroit rallied back to tie the game at 4-4, but Pittsburgh, after a rain delay, rallied to score four more runs in the top of the 10th to take Game 2 of the doubleheader.

--> Detroit Tigers game vs. Pirates postponed Wednesday; Doubleheader scheduled Thursday

Paws might have struck out with Dunnes, but he and the Tigers took another series as they won games one and two against the Pirates.

Detroit improved to a league-best 48-27 and 26-11 at home. They’ll now hit the road where they are slated to take on the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game series, with Game 1 taking place on Friday, June 20, 2025, inside George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty is scheduled to take the mound at 7:05 p.m.

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