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.