Nick Pivetta is currently pitching in his eighth year in the major leagues. The 31-year-old has now spent parts of five years with the Boston Red Sox, starting over 85 games for the ballclub. But since his arrival in the city in 2020, nothing has compared to Pivetta’s dominant stretch on Thursday. Although the Red Sox were blanked 5-0 by the Detroit Tigers, Nick Pivetta tied a Boston strikeout record that is held by one of the best pitchers of all time.
Nick Pivetta Ties Boston Strikeout Record
Pivetta entered Thursday’s contest with a 4.20 ERA. In his last start, things didn’t go so well for the right-hander. He allowed five runs in just over three innings against the Brewers on May 25. Looking to rebound, Pivetta took the mound against the Tigers. And it is hard to script a better start to the game than what ensued.
Pivetta walked outfielder Matt Vierling to start the contest. The Tigers’ two-hitter, Riley Greene, then grounded into a fielder’s choice for the first out. Pivetta faced Mark Canha with a man on first and struck him out on six pitches. He did the same to cleanup hitter Gio Urshela, this time on seven pitches.
Pivetta entered the second inning off the back of two consecutive strikeouts. He took care of every batter in a similar fashion in the second frame. Detroit second baseman Colt Keith struck out on four pitches to begin the inning. The next two batters saw the same fate. Two innings in and Nick Pivetta had five strikeouts, all coming in succession. And entering the third, the Canadian was three more away from tying a Red Sox record.
Shortstop Javier Báez led off the third inning for Detroit. He worked the count to 2-2 before striking out on a slider. Carson Kelly, the nine hitter, didn’t have much luck either, going down on four pitches. And Nick Pivetta was one strikeout away from tying history. Matt Vierling, who began the matchup with a walk, stepped up to the plate with two outs. He walked back to the dugout four pitches later. Nick Pivetta had struck out his eighth straight batter, tying Roger Clemens for the most consecutive punchouts in a Red Sox uniform. Clemens did so in 1986 during a 20-strikeout performance.
Pivetta Finds Trouble After Dominating
After tying the record, Pivetta toed the mound in the fourth looking to break it. He forced the first batter into a groundout, ending hopes of a ninth straight strikeout. The next two Detroit hitters were sat down with balls in play as well. He started the fifth inning in a similar fashion until left fielder Akil Baddoo smacked a home run to left center. It was the first hit for either team on the day. Pivetta got a groundout for out number two before securing his ninth strikeout of the contest to end the inning.
The sixth inning saw another run cross the plate for Detroit. Pivetta allowed a lead-off triple, forced a fly-out, and then intentionally walked the next batter. Mark Canha came up to bat and stroked a ball into center, scoring the Tigers’ second run. It was Pivetta’s last pitch of the game. He was tagged with the loss despite allowing just three hits and striking out nine batters.
Pivetta’s Path To History
Nick Pivetta was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of New Mexico Junior College. After spending two years in the organization, he was traded near the 2015 trade deadline to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for reliever Jonathan Papelbon. He stayed in the minors until earning his call toward the beginning of the 2017 season. Pivetta lasted five innings and struck out five in his MLB debut against the Dodgers. He took the loss, however, after being tagged with nine hits and two runs.
Pivetta struggled in just over three years with Philadelphia. He ended 2017 with a 6.02 ERA in 26 starts. That number dipped to 4.77, in 2018 but rose again the following season to 5.38. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Phillies decided to give up on Pivetta, sending him in a package to Boston for pitchers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree. In all, Pivetta went 19-30 in Philadelphia with a 5.50 ERA in 92 games.
Since joining Boston, his ERA has dipped to 4.33 since 2020. He led all of baseball with 33 starts in 2022 despite going 10-12. Pivetta worked out of the bullpen at points last year before regaining his spot in 2024. He was quickly placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right elbow flex strain on April 9 and returned on May 8. So far this season, Pivetta has started six games and has a 4.20 ERA.
