Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes returns to his military roots during USO tour of Japan

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes traded the pitcher’s mound for a Navy base, meeting sailors and their families during a USO tour of Japan. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes greets Capt. Neil Gabriel, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15, outside the USO at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Oct. 22, 2026. Skenes and his girlfriend, Olivia Dunne, left, visited the base as part of a USO tour of three bases in Japan. (Jonathan Baez/Stars and Stripes) YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes traded the pitcher’s mound for a Navy base Thursday, meeting sailors and their families during a USO tour of Japan and reflecting on the two years he spent at the Air Force Academy.

“It was a special experience,” he said during a visit to the USO at Yokosuka. “I wish I could’ve stayed there for four years and be doing what I’m doing now, but I’m glad I got the experience there.” Skenes — the first overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft — was joined by his girlfriend, former Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunne, on his second USO tour. The three-day visit began Wednesday at Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan, continued Thursday at Yokosuka, home of the Navy’s 7th Fleet, and was slated to conclude Friday at Yokota Air Base, the home of