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Paul Skenes and his girlfriend Olivia Dunne turned heads in New York on Saturday night at the 100th centennial New York Baseball Writers' Association of America awards dinner.
The Pittsburgh Pirates rookie, who went 11-3 and posted a 1.96 ERA, won the NL Rookie of the Year. When the award was announced in November. Skenes' reaction wasn't as ecstatic as any would have expected, but he cleared the air in his BBWAA Awards speech, clearing up any confusion.
"I would like to clear the air on something," Skenes said during his speech. "I know when the award was announced, my reaction wasn't as bubbly and ecstatic as some of the other people, but I am very excited and truly honored to win this award."
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"I'm honored to have won this award, and I recognize that it would not have been possible if you all had not voted for me," Skenes added. "It was my goal and intention to make voting very easy for you in the coming years. "I want to thank God for giving me health and the ability to pursue what I love at a very high level."
On Monday, Dunne shared a video from the award ceremony. However, the major attention also went to the comment section, where a user reacted by saying she was also present at the ceremony and found Skenes' speech cute.
The LSU gymnast and social media star quickly took to the comments section and dropped a short but impactful two-word reaction in reply:
"He ate."
The comment was in line with what Skenes said that he intends to perform so otherworldly that the voters don't need to scratch their heads, voting for him going forward.
Olivia Dunne was with Paul Skenes when the NL ROY result was announced
Back in November, Paul Skenes was in the company of Olivia Dunne as both waited to learn who won the NL Rookie of the Year honor after being announced finalist alongside San Diego Padres rookie Jackson Merrill and Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jackson Chourio.
Skenes was announced the winner, receiving 23 of the possible first-place votes, beating Merrill, who came runner-up.
As soon as the result was announced, Dunne, who was glowing in a red dress, jumped out of excitement, while Skenes remained calm as if to suggest it wasn't a big deal for him.
Dunne even prepared a special customized cake for Paul Skenes, a nod to his ROY award.
