MLB fans react to Nick Pivetta's record-breaking performance vs Oakland A's

MLB fans witnessed greatness unfold at the Oakland Coliseum, as the Boston Red Sox's Nick Pivetta dazzled with a historic performance.

The Oakland Athletics, who put out their least experienced side since 1954, were blown away by the brilliance of Pivetta. The 30-year-old was introduced as a bulk reliever after opener Brennan Bernardino turned in two scoreless innings.

He rewrote the history books as he did not allow a single hit to the Athletics over six innings, striking out 13 batters. He became the first reliever in Red Sox history to manage 13 strikeouts, eclipsing Diego Seguí's 12 against the Orioles in 1974.

While Nick Pivetta set the record for most strikeouts by a relief pitcher for the Red Sox, he matched his career high of 13 outs (previously achieved against Saint Louis in 2018 while representing the Phillies).

The man from Victoria faced 20 batters, striking out the side in three of his six innings. He joined an elite list of players, becoming just the sixth relief pitcher since 1901 to strike out 13 or more.

Fans urged people to put some respect on Pivetta's name after his eye-catching performance. The right-hander has managed 52 strikeouts in 15 relief appearances since moving to the bullpen.

The Oakland Coliseum has been a happy hunting ground for the Boston ace. He had bagged 14 scoreless career innings at the venue prior to the game on Monday.

Nick Pivetta's brilliance headlines Boston's shutout victory

Nick Pivetta's record-shattering performance helped the Boston Red Sox to a comprehensive 7-0 shutout victory in the opener of a three-game series. It was their eighth victory in the last nine games and their fourth straight win against Oakland.

While Pivetta hogged the limelight for obvious reasons, the likes of Adam Duvall, Justin Turner, Alex Verdugo, Jarren Duran and Connor Wong chipped in with doubles for the Red Sox.

A total of eight batters from Boston managed at least one hit during their triumphant outing.

Victory for Boston in the series opener means that they sit in fourth place in the American League East and are in hot pursuit of the third wild card spot.

Meanwhile, it's all doom and gloom for the Oakland A's as they succumbed to their eighth straight loss. Incidentally, it was also their 11th shutout of the ongoing MLB season.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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MLB fans react to Nick Pivetta's record-breaking performance vs Oakland A's - "Put some respect on it"

Nick Pivetta's brilliance headlines Boston's shutout victory