Paul Skenes dominates the Rays on the day GQ publishes profile of him and girlfriend Livvy Dunne

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The only thing that flustered Paul Skenes on Wednesday was getting asked about his photo spread with girlfriend Livvy Dunne in GQ magazine.

The topic came up only after the Pirates ace dominated the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing one unearned run on three hits in seven innings of a 4-2 Pittsburgh victory. Skenes struck out six and walked none while throwing 102 pitches.

As comfortable as he was on the mound at Steinbrenner Field — the Yankees' spring training ballpark and Rays' temporary home — Skenes was less at ease when considering how his teammates might react to him being interviewed and photographed by the venerable men's magazine for a profile that was published online Wednesday.

“I’m gonna get some flak in the locker room,” Skenes said, a smile growing on his face. “I’m not looking forward to that. … I didn’t know what GQ was until the offer came. So glad I did it. I think. I mean, how do I look?”

Dunne, an LSU gymnast, has 8 million followers on TikTok and 5 million on Instagram, and the couple was photographed in a sleek house in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the GQ profile. They spoke to the magazine about their romance, which began in college.

Fame arrived quickly for Dunne in the name, image and likeness era of college athletics, and she told GQ she didn't know who Skenes was when they met. But Skenes — the National League rookie of the year and an All-Star last season — might be catching up.

On Wednesday, the 22-year-old Skenes retired 21 of 24 batters and generated 13 swings-and-misses, seven on his fastball. His 0.92 WHIP is the lowest through a pitcher's first 25 starts in major league history.

A throwing error by Isiah Kiner-Falefa helped the Rays get within 2-1 in the sixth inning, but Skenes minimized the damage. In the seventh, he fell behind 3-0 to his last two batters, but struck them both out.

“Falling behind 3-0 on the last two hitters of the game is not very good,” he said. “I don’t have anything to lose out there. I gotta get an out. It’s my job, so that’s all I was trying to do. I mean, it’s not as hard as people think it is to throw strikes. I just did it — three pitches too late.”

Those clutch outs allowed Skenes to play the role of stopper for the Pirates, who had lost four straight, and manager Derek Shelton was impressed.

“It’s something not a lot of guys have in the game,” Shelton said. “To be able to go back and get that pitch at 100 mph when you need it — that’s what makes Paul Skenes special.”

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