Nick Pivetta gave the Red Sox a chance to win Thursday night, and that’s all that matters to him.
Boston manager Alex Cora pulled the right-handed pitcher in the seventh inning after 100 pitches, despite the fact Pivetta was tossing a no-hitter. The move proved smart, as left-hander Josh Taylor was able to get the Sox out of the inning.
The Sox ultimately lost 1-0 on a ninth-inning wild pitch from Matt Barnes, and while Pivetta didn’t get a chance to finish off the no-no, he understands Cora’s thinking.
“No, I did not want to come out, but it’s not about me. It was a tie ballgame at the time, at 100 pitches, so right now, it’s just about winning baseball games. That’s what’s most important,” Pivetta told reporters after the game. “The matchup worked really well with JT who’s been doing a great job all series with lefties, and that’s really important.”
Even if Cora and the Red Sox allowed Pivetta a chance to finish off the no-hitter, it would have required throwing a lot more pitches. The hard-throwing righty said he was up for it, but he also understands why that was unlikely to happen.
“I could throw all day if I really needed to, (but) in this certain situation, what’s more important is winning baseball games with the matchups,” he said. “It probably would have taken 140, 150, maybe 160 pitches. You can’t predict the future.”
Instead, Cora came out, took the ball and praised Pivetta for his efforts, explaining his decision to bring in Taylor, who has been out of this world lately.
“(Cora said) ‘You did a great job, but JT has been really good this season against lefties, and we’re gonna go with him,'” Pivetta revealed. “I don’t mind the decision at all.
” … To be honest with you, it was the right call on AC’s part. It made the most sense, and we’re all about winning series. That didn’t happen today, but it was the right call.”
Pivetta remains a valuable piece to the Red Sox rotation. Thursday night marked the fifth time this season he has allowed two runs or fewer in at least six innings of work. He has a 6-3 record with a 4.00 ERA in his first full season with the Red Sox.
