MLB

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes has made a career of striking out batters left and right -- but it looks like he hit a home run with his girlfriend, Livvy Dunne!

The athlete and the influencer have been together for a few years now, and they've become pretty comfortable showing their affection in public ... like when he tied her lace-up heel right before the 2025 MLB All-Star Game.

We're going to check out what the social media figure was up to before she met the pro athlete ... and see what brought them together.

Dunne's been a gymnast for several years, and she was formerly a member of the U.S. Junior National Gymnastics Team.

She later joined Louisiana State University's gymnastics team in 2020, and she helped her teammates earn the 2024 NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championship title.

Dunne's popularity can partially be attributed to the NCAA's Name, Image and Likeness rule, which was implemented in 2021 and lets college athletes participate in sponsorships and make endorsements.

The former college athlete really caught the wave at the right time -- and she's raked in a cool $4.1 million through her collaborations with various companies, according to On3.

Dunne began her career as an influencer after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and earned herself several million followers on TikTok before she'd even started college.

Although she was initially faced with "learning curves" and "had to learn on my own how to navigate" her social media fame, according to ESPN, she evidently figured out a solid rhythm, because she was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 and TIME100 Creators lists.

The influencer has since linked up with content creator platform Passes -- in what was described as a "multi-million-dollar deal," according to Sports Illustrated -- which allows her to create exclusive content for fans.

Oh yeah, and she was featured as one of the cover models for the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue ... after being included in the annual publication in both 2023 and 2024, of course.

Dunne and Skenes met while they were both attending LSU, and her fans began speculating about the state of their relationship after she was spotted wearing a jersey with his name on it in a video shared on her TikTok account in 2023.

The happy couple went public with their relationship that August, and they've been spotted on plenty of red carpets -- and cute dates, naturally -- ever since then.

The influencer opened up about her romance with Skenes in an interview with People, where she expressed neither she nor her boyfriend would "restrict each other from doing things" in their respective professional lives.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto's home was the target of a burglary attempt on Wednesday morning, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... at around 5 AM, three people were seen on surveillance video at the Dodgers star's Los Angeles-area home shattering a glass door and several windows.

Fortunately for the Cy Young candidate, we're told the thieves did not gain access to the place ... scattering once 911 was called by private security.

Frightening scene at the Blue Jays vs. Orioles game on Monday ... when Toronto outfielder George Springer was forced to exit the contest after getting struck in the head by a 96 MPH fastball.

The moment happened in the top of the ninth inning ... when Baltimore right-hander Kade Strowd's 0-0 pitch found the left ear flap of the 12-year MLB veteran's helmet ... sending him to the ground in a heap.

Springer remained in the dirt for some time as trainers checked in on him and teammates and fans watched on. At one point, he raised his head and appeared to say, "wow."

Cleveland Guardians star closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave by Major League Baseball as part of the league's sports betting investigation.

The suspension means Clase is the second Guardians pitcher to get thrown into the probe ... joining Luis Ortiz, who was placed on the league's list on July 3.

In 2025, the 27-year-old has pitched to a 3.23 ERA in 47.1 innings ... securing 24 saves.

One lucky and very, very rich fan is set to walk away with baseball history ... as the home plate Barry Bonds stepped on after hitting his 756th career home run is up for auction -- and it's estimated to sell for $100,000!!

Bidding for the base -- along with a signed ball from the '07 game -- both come with letters of authenticity signed by the former San Francisco Giants slugger himself ... and the package is currently open for bidding via SCP Auctions.

"This is the actual home plate from the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals MLB game on August 7th, 2007, at AT&T Park, where I hit my 756th career home run in the contest, passing Hank Aaron for sole possession of first place on the all-time MLB home run leaderboard," Bonds' letter says.

Brian Grant -- a 2002 MLB draft pick -- was arrested this week in North Carolina ... after authorities say he murdered a locksmith.

According to the Oak Island Police Department, officers were dispatched to Grant's home on Wednesday over a report of gunfire ... and they discovered 61-year-old Randy Stewart dead from a gunshot wound.

An investigation led authorities to believe Grant was the shooter ... and the former pitcher was taken into custody and booked on a charge of second-degree murder.

A Cubs fan tumbled into a basket at Wrigley Field on Monday night in a hunt for a home run ball ... and the wild scene was all captured on video.

It happened in the second inning of Chicago's tilt with the Kansas City Royals ... after Jac Caglianone took a Ben Brown knucklecurve deep to left field.

The ball crash landed into a net at the top of the wall -- giving the star rookie a home run ... but in an effort to retrieve the keepsake, a man in a black tank top and Cubs headband fell head-first into the webbing.

Ketel Marte says around $400,000 worth of items were stolen from his home while he was playing in the MLB All-Star Game last week.

The Diamondbacks second baseman spoke with reporters on Sunday for the first time since his Arizona pad was ransacked by thieves ... and he explained it was "not good" to know he lost so much, but he relented there's not much he can do about it now.

"You just got to move on," he said through a translator.

Looks like the sports world is getting in on the viral Kiss Cam moment at the Coldplay concert this week ... 'cause several baseball teams recreated the stunning scene at their Friday night games!

Check out the hilarious video of the Philadelphia Phillies' mascots poking fun at the situation ... "Clocks" by Coldplay plays as the Kiss Cam locks in on the Phillie Phanatic cuddling up to a female Phanatic -- which looks just like him in a blonde wig.

When the Phanatic couple realizes they've been caught ... they quickly duck out of sight -- just like Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR Chief Kristin Cabot did at Wednesday's Coldplay show in Boston. But they weren't the only ones to jump in on the trend.

Alex Cora had himself an All-Star break he'll remember for the foreseeable future ... 'cause the Red Sox manager was in attendance for the Coldplay concert on Wednesday in Boston -- the same show where an alleged affair was put on display for the world to see!

Cora met with media members on Friday just ahead of his team's series opener against the Chicago Cubs, and he was asked how he enjoyed his past few off days.

He cracked a wry smile and said, "It was good," before he revealed, "I was actually in the Wednesday [Coldplay] concert."

Major League Baseball paid tribute to late Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron during Tuesday night's All-Star Game in the ATL ... recreating his 715th home run through the use of a fascinating projection display.

After the sixth inning of the Midsummer Classic, the lights went out at Truist Park ... and fans in attendance were taken back to April 8, 1974 -- the day Hammerin' Hank became the home run king.

The tribute featured the voice of Vin Scully -- who was on the call for the moment Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth -- and video highlights right on the field. To signify the big hit, a firework was launched into left-center field -- the same spot Aaron's moonshot landed on that historic day.

Paul Skenes just showed he's as good a boyfriend as he is a pitcher -- stopping in his tracks on the MLB's All-Star Game red carpet Tuesday to tie Livvy Dunne's lace-up heel!

Cameras were rolling when the Pirates' flamethrower dropped to a knee to help his model GF just before the two headed into Truist Park for this evening's mid-summer classic.

After fixing the small wardrobe malfunction -- the two dazzled. Skenes shined in a dark mauve suit with a turquoise collar ... while Dunne stunned in a blue dress. It's the second time in Skenes' career that they've hit the ASG red carpet together.

Monday night featured a rare sweet moment between a Dodger and a Padre -- as Shohei Ohtani actually joked around with Robert Suarez about that 100 MPH fastball that nailed him in the ribs.

Cameras captured the interaction during the Home Run Derby in Atlanta. Shohei could be seen walking up to Suarez and grabbing his left side -- right where Robert drilled him during a game last month.

While baseball is his main calling ... Ohtani showcased some good acting chops -- walking around wincing before the two dapped each other up.

Ex-MLB pitcher Daniel Serafini -- the Minnesota Twins' first-round pick in the 1992 draft -- was found guilty of murder on Monday.

According to the Placer County District Attorney's Office, the baseball player was also convicted of attempted murder and first-degree burglary following a jury trial.

The charges stemmed from allegations that Serafini had brutally attacked his in-laws, Gary Spohr and Wendy Wood, during a 2021 incident in Tahoe City.

MLB All-Star Week means a break for some players, but not for Paul Skenes ... 'cause the Pittsburgh Pirates' lone selection touched down in Atlanta for the festivities in style -- taking a private jet with his girlfriend, Livvy Dunne!!

TMZ Sports obtained a video of the National League's starting pitcher stepping off his plane at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport Sunday night ... the internet superstar/former LSU gymnast was along for the ride.

In addition to Skenes' bae, we're told Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz was with the couple ... which makes sense, considering he's set to participate in the Home Run Derby on Monday.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have been on great terms for a long while now ... so it should be no surprise they took in a ballgame together with the kids.

The former husband and wife made a return to the big screen together, so to speak ... when they were shown on the jumbotron of the Red Sox game Friday night with two of their three children. It appears Violet was not there -- but Mom and Dad were sitting between Samuel and Fin.

It was a sweet moment that even made the game broadcast ... Ben, of course, being a diehard Sox fan -- he is a Boston native after all.