Nick Pivetta tips his cap to Fenway Park crowd following potentially final outing with Red Sox

“It’s really emotional for me.”

Nick Pivetta pitched in what could have been his final game in a Red Sox uniform on Friday night.

The right-hander, who is set to become a free agent after this season, tossed 6 2/3 innings in Boston’s third-to-last contest of 2024. Pivetta allowed two runs and walked one with six strikeouts against the Tampa Bay Rays, but also took the loss.

It was an all too familiar sight for Pivetta himself and Red Sox fans at Fenway Park this season: Starting pitching was dominant, but the bats couldn’t get things going in a narrow 2-1 defeat.

Nevertheless, with Boston’s season having been over since Wednesday, Pivetta was able to relish potentially his last outing for the team he’s spent much of his career with. He discussed his initial feelings after the loss.

“A lot of memories, a lot to be grateful for,” Pivetta told reporters postgame. “It’s my last start so far for me being a Red Sox. It’s been a hefty four years, almost five years for me. There’s a lot to be grateful for. A lot of opportunities have been given. Tried to take advantage of every single one of that, but also I’ve had a lot of help along the way and there’s been a lot of people around that have helped guide me and a lot of them are in the dugout, have been in the dugout, and a lot of the coaching staff. It’s really emotional for me.”

Emotional it was, as the 31-year-old tipped his cap to the Fenway crowd, who gave him a standing ovation upon his descent to the dugout in the seventh inning. Pivetta could be seen hugging people in the dugout and even sat next to manager Alex Cora during the game’s final inning.

The hurler has primarily been a backend rotation arm for the Red Sox, while also having served as a reliever for much of 2023. Pivetta notoriously took issue with the idea of Boston demoting him to the bullpen in May last year, but he quickly settled into the role. Outside of that blip, he’s been a large, consistent part of the Red Sox over the last four-and-a-half seasons, despite the team’s mediocrity and pitching instability over that span.

Both Cora and Pivetta recalled perhaps the pitcher’s most memorable moment in Boston: Game 3 of the 2021 ALDS. Pivetta tossed four scoreless innings in relief in extra innings against the Rays at Fenway. He struck out seven to pave the way for a Christian Vazquez walkoff home run in the 13th inning, which gave the Red Sox a 2-1 series lead.

Cora praised Pivetta’s Boston tenure after the game, and even gave the player a positive reference ahead of his free agency.

“He likes to compete. … He works so hard. He’s intense. … He is good for us,” Cora said during his postgame press conference. “He’s a veteran. He posts. He knows what it takes here, in the weight room, in the training room. He got demoted last year, he complained one day. And then the next day he showed up and he’s like, ‘I’m going to the bullpen.’ He understands how this works and he’s good for any team, let’s put it that way.”

Cora’s final sentence was significant considering that Pivetta and the Red Sox have yet to discuss a return, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. Despite that, Pivetta said he’s hopeful to re-sign with the Red Sox. He cited his and his wife’s comfort in Boston when asked if he would be open to a return.

Whether he remains with the Red Sox in 2025 or lands elsewhere, Pivetta declared that he has plenty more left in the tank.

“I think I haven’t gotten to my ceiling yet and I think there’s a lot more,” he said.