11-year-old spurns Pirates, Livvy Dunne provide for ultra-rare Paul Skenes card

What do 11-year-olds dream of?

Season tickets behind house plate? The possibility to host your individual softball sport in a Massive League ballpark? A seat subsequent to Livvy Dunne in her personal suite at a Pirates sport?

Apparently, not one of the above. 

One fortunate preteen was provided all this and extra after pulling rookie phenom Paul Skene’s one-of-one autographed Topps baseball card. However on Friday he politely declined, deciding as a substitute to see what he can fetch for the cardboard on the open market. 

From the second the extremely coveted card was revealed, the Pittsburgh Pirates made it recognized they have been very, very .

“To the fortunate one that finds this card… We’d like to convey this card house to PNC Park to share with all Buccos followers,” the Pirates social media group tweeted in November.

The Pirates listed all they’d reward in return:  Two (2) Pirates season tickets behind house plate for the following 30 years, a softball sport for 30 at PNC Park with teaching from Pirates alumni, a spring coaching expertise “like no different,” together with a non-public tour, a meet-and-greet with Skenes, two autographed jerseys from the rookie and a batting observe session.

Livvy Dunne, the famed gynmast and Skenes’ girlfriend, sweetened the pot, providing “the one that finds the cardboard can sit with me at a Pirates sport in my suite,” in a submit on social media.

The preteen was all-in on discovering the cardboard, in response to a journal entry shared by Topps.

“I began begging my mother for it for Christas,” they wrote, “The primary current we opened was the interest field … on the second pack, I obtained the Paul Skenes redemptions card. I began bouncing all over and my dad was [saying] ‘Letttts goooo.’ This card is a dream come true.”

If the 11-year-old was a Pirates fan, the franchise’s provide might need been extra enticing. As a substitute, the younger capitalist has determined to convey the cardboard to public sale

In response to Sports activities Collectors Digest, the Topps card may fetch as many as six figures at public sale as a result of, along with Skenes’ signature, it incorporates the “MLB Debut” patch that was sewn into his jersey when he made his main league debut. 

Skenes tossed 84 pitches throughout that outing — a Pirates win over the Chicago Cubs in Might — and by no means regarded again.

The primary-overall choice from the 2023 MLB Draft made 23 begins all through his rookie season and pitched to an 11-3 report with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts over 133 innings. 

His efforts have been rewarded with a begin within the All-Star Recreation, NL Rookie of the Yr honors and a 3rd place end in NL Cy Younger Award voting. 

The Pirates didn’t cover their disappointment — although they nonetheless made a goodwill provide to the child.

“Effectively…we’re bummed that we gained’t be seeing you behind house plate for 30 seasons,” the group wrote on X. “However we’d nonetheless like to convey you to Pittsburgh for a big day at PNC Park this season”