July 19, 2023

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Canadian right-hander Nick Pivetta struck out 13 batters in relief for the Boston Red Sox on Monday night in their 7-0 win over the Oakland A’s at the Oakland Coliseum.

That strikeout total set a Red Sox record for most Ks by a reliever in a single game. It also set a record for most strikeouts by a Canadian reliever in a major league contest.

Pivetta (Victoria, B.C.) entered the game in the third inning, replacing opener Brennan Bernardino, and proceeded to throw six no-hit innings. He struck out the side in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings.

According to Baseball Reference, Pivetta is the first major league reliever to fan 13 batters in a game since Randy Johnson struck out 16 in relief for the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 18, 2001.

There have only been six pitchers in major league history who have struck out 13 or more batters in a relief appearance (See list from Baseball Reference below).

“I just go out there and I execute what I need to execute,” Pivetta told reporters after the game. “Just get ahead of guys, compete in the zone, use my stuff in the zone and then expand the zone after that.”

The Junior National Team alum’s 13 strikeouts equaled his career high that he established as a starter with the Philadelphia Phillies on June 18, 2018 when he pitched 7 1/3 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park.

Pivetta’s performance on Monday was his latest outstanding effort out of the Sox pen. Since being taken out of the rotation in mid-May, Pivetta owns a 2.31 ERA and has allowed just 15 hits in 35 innings, while striking out 52, in 15 relief appearances.

“I don’t really know what it is,” Pivetta told reporters about his success out of the bullpen. “I’m just doing what I’ve always been doing. … Doesn’t matter where I’m pitching or when I’m pitching. Being consistent is the most important thing for me, and that’s just what I focus on.”