Ivan Nova's first walk of 2017 came in a Yankees pitcher's first career at-bat, naturally

Baseball can be unpredictable at nearly every turn. Any time you settle in to watch a game you have a pretty decent chance of seeing something unexpected, whether it's a major moment or one of the more nuanced, subtle things that also transpire on the diamond. 
Coming into his start against the Yankees on Sunday at PNC Park (which Pittsburgh won, 2-1), Pirates right-hander Ivan Nova was the picture of pitching precision: He had yet to issue a walk this season. 
As that lede may suggest, he did indeed grant a hitter a free pass on Sunday.

???Ivan Nova walk alert???

— Adam Berry (@adamdberry) April 23, 2017

But, in an example of the excessive randomness of baseball, it came against Jordan Montgomery, New York's starting pitcher -- in his first career at-bat at the Major League level. In fact, Montgomery hadn't drawn a walk in the Minors, either, and this ended Nova's 154-batters-without-a-walk stretch.

Jordan Montgomery, who has never batted as a pro, walks against Ivan Nova

— Joe Block (@joe_block) April 23, 2017

As the Pirates' broadcast crew noted in the video atop this post, this was Nova's first walk dating back to Sept. 13 of last season, when he issued a sixth-inning base on balls to the Phillies' Cesar Hernandez. 
Crazy game, this baseball.