By Alexis Brudnicki

Canadian Baseball Network

The last time Nick Pivetta made an appearance at Rogers Centre, he was a teenaged member of the Canadian Junior National Team.

Eight years later, the 25-year-old hurler is back and scheduled to start on home soil - albeit very far from home in Victoria, BC - against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.

“It’s nice to be here,” Pivetta said. “I don't even remember the last time I came here, probably when I was with the Junior National Team was the last time, so being able to get to pitch here is going to be very special, and it’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to it, but at the end of the day, it’s another baseball game in another city, that we’ve got to win.”

With the Phillies sitting three games back of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East division, Pivetta will take to the mound without any family or friends on hand for the appearance in his home and native land. One of the most exciting parts of the outing is that it will be broadcast on Sportsnet for all of his loved ones to watch at home on the other side of the country.

“That’s really cool,” he said. “Everybody back on the west coast will be watching it at one o’clock and they’ll all be happy and up and waiting on it, and they’ll be able to enjoy it too.”

The start for the 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander follows his appearance at the MLB Little League Classic, when he and his teammates took on the New York Mets at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa.

“That was great,” Pivetta said. “I would have loved to do a little bit more and be around the players a little bit more, but I had to start and focus on the day. I saw the Canadian team when we came off the plane, and it was a really great honour for me to see them and it was a cool experience.

“Then to pitch in that game was a lot of fun. It’s a great thing that the players’ union and the league and MLB put on. It’s always fun to have a good time playing baseball, and especially for those kids. There’s so much we get to do and we can just give a little back to those kids too.”

One of the first things Pivetta did in Williamsport was to seek out the team representing his home country, a group of little leaguers from Whalley, BC who brought up some memories from half his lifetime ago.

“The funny thing about Whalley is that it’s the team that made it to the tournament when I was 12 years old too,” the pitcher said. “We got kicked out on [Victoria] island and didn’t even make it past there.

“But the team was a part of eight teams who were there to greet us, and I got to take a picture with them and talk to the coaches a little bit. But I had to go back to the field and get ready for my start, so I didn’t get to do as much as I would have liked to.”

Pivetta’s start at Rogers Centre marks the third of the season by a Canadian opposing pitcher this season. The righty follows Ladner, BC native James Paxton, who pitched a no-hitter for the Seattle Mariners in his outing in Toronto, and Calgary, Alberta’s Mike Soroka, who made his last start on the same mound he pitched from during Tournament 12 just three years ago, before landing on the disabled list.

“I notice everything that happens in the league, and especially when someone throws a no-hitter,” Pivetta said. “It’s a great thing, but for Paxton to come here and do it in his own country is a very special moment that I'm sure will always live with him because it’s such an important thing. He’s been with the national program a lot and he’s a prestigious baseball player - especially in Canada - and to see him come in here and do that, it’s very special and amazing.”

The Phillies hurler is even more familiar with what Soroka started to do this season - before injuring his shoulder - as his team has been battling the Braves for top spot in the division.

“I’m a competitor, but at the end of the day, it’s another Canadian out there who’s a very, very talented young kid. I finally got to meet him this winter [at MLB’s Rookie Career Development Camp] in Washington, DC. He’s a really nice kid, but to see what he’s done this year and the success he’s had is amazing. He’s going to be a very good pitcher for a very long time. He’s way ahead of where I am and he’s five years younger than I am. I look forward to competing against him along the way.”

With as many starts under his belt this season as he accumulated last year in the majors, and a. 4.66 ERA in 129 1/3 innings, with just 35 walks and 158 strikeouts, Pivetta believes that while there is still a way to go, he has been able to make some of the necessary improvements he was looking for this year.

“I feel like I’ve been improving,” he said. “There have been some starts where I’ve stumbled and fall a little bit, but it’s all part of the learning experience. But I’ve been here for a year-and-a-half almost now, so it’s time to start to find some consistency, get back on the track of things, and really prove that I can stick here because that’s what’s most important - putting the team in a position to win every single day and doing the best job I can.”

With plenty of season left to go for a team in contention, Pivetta has been excited about what his squad has been able to do so far and is looking forward to more excitement with his teammates.

“It’s been a lot of fun so far,” he said. “Where we’re at is good but we can be better. There’s always room to be better, and at the same time, we’re the only ones who really believed that we would be in this position this late in the year. It’s proving that we’re doing a great job and we’re just moving forward. There’s a lot of baseball left. It’s fun every single day but it’s a grind too, and we’re sticking with it and doing the best we can to continue to have success and have fun every day.”