Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has a new look for the new year, as his girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, revealed in a social media post Thursday night.
Skenes, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, shaved his trademark beard and mustache. If he took the mound tomorrow, Skenes would be clean-shaven for the first time since debuting in 2024.
Advertisement
“Happy New Year,” Dunne wrote on her Instagram story, accompanied by a smiling emoji.
It remains unclear exactly when Skenes shaved. The New Jersey Devils shared photos and video of Skenes and Dunne on X during a Dec. 21 game against the Buffalo Sabres, and Skenes still had his beard and mustache at the time.
Baseball Fans React to Paul Skenes’ New Appearance
Skenes is coming off a brilliant 2025 season in which he recorded a 1.97 ERA and a 216-42 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 187⅔ innings. His 7.7 bWAR ranked fourth among all pitchers, trailing only Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez (8.0).
Advertisement
“Clean-shaven Skenes is throwing more people off than his fastball ever did,” one X user quipped. “New year, new look, same nightmare for hitters.”
Another added, “Oh no! That weird ’70s stache was his superpower.”
There was also no shortage of jokes suggesting Skenes shaved in preparation for a future stint with the New York Yankees, who enforced a long-standing facial-hair policy for more than 50 years before rescinding it ahead of the 2025 season. Several players — including All-Star left-hander Carlos Rodón and reliever Devin Williams — quickly took advantage.
Advertisement
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes in 2025Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
“No facial hair for Paul Skenes makes him look 5–10 years younger,” wrote 93.7 The Fan (Pittsburgh) producer and host Austin Bechtold.
“He’s very good-looking with this look,” a Pirates fan replied to Bechtold, “but he needs the beard for a bad-ass aura on the mound.”
Whether Skenes truly needs facial hair to continue carving through opposing lineups remains to be seen. The dominant right-hander became just the third pitcher in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award within the first two seasons of his career, joining former Los Angeles Dodgers star Fernando Valenzuela (both awards in 1981) and New York Mets legend Dwight Gooden (Rookie of the Year in 1984, Cy Young in 1985).
Advertisement
According to MLB Advanced Media, Skenes’ 1.96 career ERA is the lowest through 55 starts by any pitcher in the Live Ball Era (since 1920). Skenes and the Pirates open the 2026 season on March 26 against Juan Soto and the New York Mets at Citi Field.
Related: Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. Predicted to Make MLB History in 2026
Related: Anthony Volpe Injury Update Emerges Amid Yankees Offseason
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.