Nick Pivetta will make his first career Opening Day start Thursday afternoon when the San Diego Padres host the Detroit Tigers.
Padres manager Craig Staman made the announcement on Monday as the team was wrapping up spring training.
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It won’t be an easy task, as the 33-year-old right-hander will face Tigers ace left-hander Tarik Skubal, who won two straight American League Cy Young Awards for the Tigers.
Nick Pivetta will make his first career Opening Day start Thursday when the Padres host the Tigers.
“We’re excited that Nick will be starting Opening Day,” Staman said. “He was our best pitcher all last season and he was our No. 1 starting pitcher when we faced the Cubs in the wild-card series. He deserves Opening Day recognition.”
Pivetta had the best season of his career last year, setting personal highs in wins (13), ERA (2.87) and strikeouts (190). He allowed just five sacks in 31 starts.
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Pivetta has a 69-76 record and a 4.47 ERA in 254 career games (209 starts) with the Philadelphia Phillies (2017-20), Boston Red Sox (2020-24) and Padres.
Michael King will be San Diego’s starter on Friday as he looks to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2025 season. Right-hander Randy Vasquez will start Saturday’s series finale against the Tigers.
Right-hander Joe Musgrove will return from Tommy John surgery on Oct. 24 and will start the season on the injured list.
Ohtani WBC jersey sold for record $1.5 million
An unsigned Shohei Ohtani game-used 2026 World Baseball Classic jersey sold for just over $1.5 million on Sunday night through MLB Auctions, breaking the previous public auction high price for a Shohei Ohtani autographed “24 NL MVP” jersey from 2025 that sold for $249,999 on Fanatics.
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Although Sunday’s sale price is far from the price of other jerseys
Babe Ruth’s “designated shot” jersey from the 1932 World Series sold for $24.12 million in 2024, and Jackie Robinson and Mickey Mantle both sold for more than $4 million — which really raises the sales bar for future Otani jerseys used in major MLB games, perhaps matching or surpassing Robinson and Mantle.
Just last Thursday, a unique 2025 Topps MVP gold Logoman patch autographed card by Ohtani and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was auctioned through Fanatics Premier for $2.16 million. The card features the special gold-embellished MLB logo jersey patch worn by each reigning MVP.
The auction marks the second time a Judge card has sold for more than $1 million, but a separate Ohtani 2025 Topps Chrome one-on-one gold Logoman patch autographed card sold through Fanatic Premier sold for $3 million.
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In addition to his $1.5 million jersey, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar also has three cards that sell for $1 million or more.
Blue Jays expansion manager, general manager
The Toronto Blue Jays extended the contracts of head coach John Schneider and general manager Ross Atkins on Monday as a reward for their leadership in last year’s World Series run.
Both are entering the final years of their contracts. Schneider’s term runs through 2028 and Atkins’ term runs through 2031.
“Schneider has been and continues to be an outstanding leader and manager in professional baseball because of his unwavering commitment to his players,” Atkins said in a statement. “Schneider understands what it takes to build a winning environment and works tirelessly to create it. His combination of emotional intelligence and deep baseball knowledge truly sets him apart.”
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Schneider, 46, worked his way through the Blue Jays’ minor league system before taking over as major league captain in 2022 when Charlie Montoyo was fired after a slow start.
He coached the team to a 303-257 record, leading Toronto to three playoff appearances (2022, 2023, 2025) and a pennant. Toronto ended the regular season 94-68 in the 2025 World Series, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games to capture the American League East title.
“I’m excited to continue leading the Blue Jays as we work to bring a championship team to our incredible fans,” Schneider said. “I’ve been honored to be a part of this organization for nearly 25 years and the work the Blue Jays continue to do excites me every day.”
Schneider finished second in the 2025 American League Coach of the Year voting.
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Atkins, 52, is the second-longest-tenured general manager in Blue Jays history, having held the position since December 2015.
Under Atkins, the team made the playoffs five times, although it also encountered difficulties during the rebuild in 2018 and 2019.
“Ross has done a great job building a deep foundation with a great baseball operations team, best-in-class resources and a collaborative culture,” said Toronto President and CEO Mark Shapiro. “I’m a big believer in stability and continuity, and Ross continues to make us better.”
The Blue Jays will open the 2026 season on Friday with a three-game home series against the Athletics.
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This article originally appeared in The Detroit News: The Detroit Tigers will face San Diego Padres starter Nick Pivetta in their opener.
