PEORIA, Ariz. -- Nick Pivetta brings five pitches and a passion into his initial season with the Padres. It was all there in his Cactus League debut on Tuesday.
Pivetta, the newest addition to the Padres¡¯ rotation, struck out four of the nine batters he faced in 2 2/3 hitless innings of the Padres¡¯ 1-1 tie with the San Francisco Giants at Peoria Stadium.
It was the Padres¡¯ first official look at Pivetta since signing him to a four-year, $55 million free-agent deal three weeks ago, and they had to be as pleased as the fans who gave him a nice ovation as he walked off the mound.
His 40-pitch outing was, well, clinical.
Pivetta was immediately on point, throwing strikes with four of his five pitches and recording third strikes with three.
He struck out LaMonte Wade Jr. on a 93.5 mph four-seam fastball to open the game. After a walk, Pivetta retired Jung Hoo Lee swinging on a 79 mph curveball and got Jerar Encarnacion swinging on an 81 mph sweeper.
After getting Wade looking, Pivetta strode behind the mound and moved within 15 feet of third baseman Manny Machado as the ball was thrown around the infield, as if determined to grab the ball and do it all again.
¡°Just keep the rhythm going in the game,¡± Pivetta said. ¡°Keep the guys on their feet. I think it's important to get those guys back to the batting rack as quick as possible so they can score runs for us.
¡°As energetic and as quick as I can be out there, the more life I can bring, the more drive I can bring to the position players, the better. I¡¯m a very energy-driven person, and when I get out there I leave it all out there every single time.¡±
The right-hander finished his outing by catching Casey Schmitt looking on another sweeper, a pitch that has punctuated his career spike the last two seasons.
Pivetta threw six sweepers against the Giants, all to right-handed hitters, and none were put into play. Two were fouled off. He added the pitch in 2023, abandoning a knuckle curve he had used for the early stages of a Major League career that began with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017.
¡°It¡¯s a great pitch,¡± Pivetta said. ¡°It¡¯s got a lot of swing and miss. It¡¯s a pretty natural pitch to add."
His 93-94 mph four-seam fastball and the 80 mph sweeper graded out as his most effective weapons last season. He was 6-12 with a 4.14 ERA with the Red Sox in 2024, but the underlying numbers tell a different story.
Pivetta set career bests with a 6.1 percent walk rate and a 4.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and opponents also had their lowest hard-hit percentage against him since 2019.
At the same time, Pivetta said he is always evolving and open to change.
¡°You are always trying to learn new things, adapt to what the game is doing,¡± he said. ¡°There is a lot of change in the game, so I think it¡¯s just noticing the changes and seeing if you can come up with something that might help and go that way. Anything can come out on any day. [Yu] Darvish does it all the time.¡±
Padres manager Mike Shildt addressed Pivetta in his pregame session.
¡°That¡¯s a guy who¡¯s been in the league a long time and knows what he is doing,¡± Shildt said. ¡°Established starter. You can¡¯t have enough of those guys. Eats innings. Knows how to prepare. Competes well. Has all the weapons.¡±
Shildt noted that the Padres¡¯ training staff saw the commitment Pivetta has for his job after a recent bullpen session.
¡°The medical group was like, ¡®Man, this guy is really seriously intentional about how he does his recovery,¡¯¡± Shildt said. ¡°He checks every box on how to prepare and how to compete.
Pivetta explained it this way.
¡°I¡¯m very grateful to be able to play this game, in front of great baseball fans and for great organizations,¡± he said. ¡°I want to make sure that I¡¯m leaving everything out there, giving my hundred percent. At the same time, I really care.¡±
Pivetta left a trail of believers in Boston, where he spent the last four-plus seasons. He made a particularly strong early impression in the 2021 playoffs with a critical relief appearance against Tampa Bay, when he pitched four innings of shutout relief in the Sox¡¯s 6-4, 13-inning victory in a must-win Game 3 of the ALDS.
¡°He¡¯s full tilt all the time, and I love that about him,¡± Red Sox teammate Tanner Houck told reporters at the time. ¡°I call it, like, an aura about someone. Whenever you see them, whenever you¡¯re around them, it just attaches to you. ¡ He¡¯s bringing the energy and the hype. He¡¯s definitely a positive influence and energizing the people around him.¡±