SAN DIEGO -- There was a time when it seemed as if Nick Pivetta’s season might be over.
Two months ago, in his first rehab outing with Single-A Lake Elsinore, the right-hander abruptly walked off the mound and removed himself from the game after his 14th pitch due to right elbow tightness. His recovery timeline was thrown up in the air at that point. The odds of him returning before the end of the year were firmly in question.
Now, with their season on the line, the Padres turn to Pivetta to keep them alive. The right-hander was tabbed to start Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Brewers on Tuesday night in San Diego, looking to help the Padres claw their way back from a daunting 2-0 series deficit and stave off elimination.
The five months it took for Pivetta to recover from a flexor strain in his right elbow – which led to the conversion of his 2027 player option into a team option due to the length of his injured list stint – were difficult for the 33-year-old. He was motivated by the thought of being on the mound, helping the Padres on their quest for an elusive first World Series title.
“I think if you look back at it, when I was really grinding on my rehab process and wondering if I was going to be able to pitch again this year, I looked forward to these moments,” Pivetta said Monday. “I'm very grateful to be able to be the pitcher out there, to do this, to start [us] off. Very confident in the team that I have behind me, and it brings me a lot of joy, because I love to do what I do.”
You could tell how much competing on this stage means to Pivetta last week during a decisive Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Cubs. He dealt with plenty of traffic over his 3 1/3 innings of work, but managed to limit Chicago to just one run before handing the ball over to San Diego’s bullpen in the fourth.
After escaping a jam in the third, Pivetta roared in unison with a sellout Petco Park crowd as he marched back to the home dugout. In between slapping hands with teammates and Padres manager Craig Stammen, Pivetta chucked his glove into the side of a Gatorade cooler and let a few fired up expletives fly on his way down the players’ tunnel.
“I very much did visualize these moments,” Pivetta said. “ … Being able to be healthy and pitch for us and help us win, and I think that's what's great about this game. You get those opportunities, and it's an exciting thing. I'm very grateful for it.”
Few players display the kind of emotion Pivetta does when he is on the bump. His teammates have always touted that as the key illustrator of his competitiveness. They expect that’s what they’ll be getting when he faces the Brewers on Tuesday.
“If anyone knows Nick, they know that this guy wants to take the mound, wants the ball every five days, doesn't want to miss time, whatever it takes to go out there and compete,” Manny Machado said. “He's one of the best competitors we have in our game.”
While he has never pitched while facing potential elimination before, Pivetta’s playoff track record is an indicator that he can handle that kind of scenario. He owns a 2.86 ERA over five postseason appearances, including three starts, spanning 22 innings. Of course it’ll likely be all hands on deck for the Padres for the remainder of the series, meaning most of the pitching staff will probably be available and Stammen won’t be afraid to go to the bullpen early if he needs to, even after a taxing first two games. But the faith in Pivetta remains unwavering.
This is, after all, their Opening Day starter who finished a career-best 2025 campaign sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting. Since being reinstated from the IL on Sept. 7 against the Nationals, Pivetta has looked a lot like his ‘25 self, posting a 1.64 ERA through five starts, including his last time out against the Cubs, allowing just four walks over 22 frames.
“We trust Nick in those big situations, and more often than not, he's come through in those big situations,” Stammen said.
Pivetta will have his hands full with the top-seeded Brewers, who he has faced five times in his career but only once as a member of the Padres, which came last season.
The circumstances couldn’t be more dire, with Milwaukee one win away ending San Diego’s season.
“I'm never going to shy away from the moment or shy away from what's at stake,” Pivetta said.