Paul Skenes Visits Little League Team, Inspires Young Players with Autographs and Catch
Professional athletes are often seen as role models to young children, and emulating favorites seen on television has been a pastime for young baseball players for several decades.
Many of the top major leaguers we see today started their journey by emulating their own all-time favorites, and one MLB superstar recently stopped by a local Little League field to return the favor.
Ahead of his scheduled start against the world champion Los Angeles Dodgers, reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes visited a group of Little League players in Wexford, Pennsylvania on a Monday evening drive.
Skenes' girlfriend and former LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne shared a video of Skenes at the park with the young players. She said Skenes spent more than two hours with the kids, playing catch, signing autographs and taking photos.
Skenes' Incredible Gesture for Young Players
The Ingomar Franklin Park Little League team practiced at the park while Skenes took a seat to watch. As word spread of his arrival, he was met by several excited parents and players.
"Seeing the smiles on the boys' faces was just unbelievable," said coach Eddie Dubis, speaking to MLB.com. "They were totally starstruck, in awe of what happened."
Pirates announcer Greg Brown shared another message and more photos of Skenes' impromptu visit on social media.
"Paul was so gracious and so accommodating to so many of the boys down there," the message read.
"Never said no to an autograph or a picture. Words spread like wildfire in the Ingomar Franklin Park baseball community and car loads of kids just came to see Paul and take a picture and just hang out...What a class act."
Paul Skenes is an awesome human in case anyone was wondering.
— BIG BOB (@FSBigBob) June 9, 2026
He was driving by the Ingomar Franklin Park Little League baseball fields last night and saw the lights on and just pulled on in.
He was there over 2 hours signing, taking pictures and playing catch with the kids. pic.twitter.com/oHsYc2qyqP
Skenes Eyes Return to Elite Form in Next Start
On Tuesday night against the Dodgers, Skenes will look to bounce back from the most challenging stretch of his professional career.
He hasn't won in his last four starts, with his most recent victory coming on May 12. After consecutive eight-inning, two-hit starts, Skenes hasn't pitched more than 5 1/3 innings in four straight appearances.
As the Major League Baseball season approaches its midpoint, the Pirates currently sit eight games out of first place in the National League Central division. Pittsburgh is looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, the second-longest active postseason drought in all of baseball.
Skenes won a national championship and several major individual awards during his time in college at LSU. The individual accolades have come early in his professional career, but he's now looking to match that with team success.
The Pirates will have a difficult matchup on Tuesday against the Dodgers, but Skenes appears to be approaching the game with a clearer state of mind and a renewed focus after his chance encounter with the Ingomar Franklin Park Little League team.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 10:54 AM.