Nick Pivetta

Nicholas John Carlo Pivetta (born February 14, 1993) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox. The Washington Nationals selected Pivetta in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB draft. He was traded to the Phillies during the 2015 season and made his MLB debut with them in 2017. The Phillies traded him to the Red Sox in 2020, and he signed a four-year contract with the Padres in 2025. He pitched for Canada in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Listed at and , he throws and bats right-handed.

Career Amateur career Pivetta was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He attended Lambrick Park Secondary School in Saanich, British Columbia. He missed pitching his senior year in high school due to an ulnar collateral ligament injury in his right elbow. He was a member of the Canada junior national team from 2009–12, pitching in the 2010 18U World Championship.

He attended New Mexico Junior College where he played for the Thunderbirds on a baseball scholarship, and graduated in 2013. He played youth baseball for the Victoria Eagles of the British Columbia Premier Baseball League, and collegiate summer baseball for the Victoria HarbourCats of the West Coast League.

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals selected Pivetta in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB draft. He signed with the Nationals for $364,300, and made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Nationals of the Rookie Gulf Coast League. He finished the season with a 13–8 record, 4.22 ERA, and 1.37 WHIP in 26 games (25 starts; tied for seventh in the league). Following the season, Baseball America named him the 10th-best prospect in the Nationals' minor league system.

In 2016, Pivetta was 11–6 (his 11 wins were 3rd in the league) with a 3.41 ERA (6th) and 111 strikeouts (6th) for the Double-A Reading Phillies, with whom Pivetta was an Eastern League mid-season All Star.

Pivetta played for Canada in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He went 8–10 with a 6.02 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 133 innings for the Phillies. He struck out a career-high 13 batters on June 18 against St. Louis.

In 2019, Pivetta struggled at the beginning of the season before being demoted to Triple-A. With Lehigh Valley, he was 5–1 with a 3.07 ERA, as in 9 games (6 starts) and 41 innings he struck out 58 batters (with a 12.7 K/9 ratio, 5th-best in the International League), and giving up 23 hits had the best hits per 9 innings ratio in the league at 5.0. On July 19, it was announced he would be shifted to a relief role. In 2019 with the Phillies, he was 4–6 with one save and a 5.38 ERA, as in 30 games (13 starts) he pitched 93.2 innings. Pivetta was added to Boston's active roster on September 22, making a start that day against the Baltimore Orioles. In his two games for the 2020 Red Sox, Pivetta earned two wins while compiling a 1.80 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched. On June 24, Pivetta pitched no-hit innings against the Tampa Bay Rays; he was removed from the game after throwing more than 100 pitches, and the Red Sox went on to lose both the no-hitter and the game. On September 5, Pivetta was placed on the COVID-related injured list; he returned to the team on September 12. During the regular season, Pivetta made 31 appearances (30 starts) for Boston, compiling a 9–8 record with 4.53 ERA—he earned a save in his lone relief appearance—while striking out 175 batters in 155 innings.

On January 13, 2023, the Red Sox and Pivetta reached agreement on a one-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration. After making eight starts for Boston, in which he struggled to a 6.30 ERA, Pivetta was moved to the bullpen on May 17. Pivetta's season turned around once being moved to the bullpen, where he pitched to a sub-2.00 ERA, often pitching in long relief after an opener. On July 17, Pivetta pitched six hitless and scoreless innings of relief against the Oakland Athletics during which he recorded 13 strikeouts, setting a new Red Sox franchise record for the most strikeouts in a relief appearance.

Pivetta began the 2024 season in the starting rotation. He was placed on the injured list on April 9, due to a right elbow flexor strain. He was activated on May 8. On May 30, Pivetta tied a franchise record, previously set by Roger Clemens, by striking out eight consecutive batters. For the season, Pivetta posted a 6–12 record with a 4.14 ERA and 172 strikeouts while pitching innings.

San Diego Padres On February 17, 2025, Pivetta signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the San Diego Padres. He made 31 starts for San Diego during the regular season, with a 13–5 record, 2.87 ERA, and 190 strikeouts across innings pitched; his wins, strikeouts, and ERA marks all set career-highs.

On April 12, 2026 while pitching against the Colorado Rockies, Pivetta was pulled from the game by Padres manager Craig Stammen with the initial injury called elbow stiffness. Pivetta was later placed on the 15-day injured list, diagnosed with right elbow flexor strain. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on June 2.

Pitching style Pivetta throws a four-seam fastball, a curveball, and a slider. He threw a changeup early in his career, replacing it with a cutter in his arsenal while with Boston. He relies mostly on his fastball, which averages , and his two breaking balls. he threw his fastball 50% of the time, his curve 22% of the time, and his slider 16% of the time.