Right-hander Nick Pivetta toe the rubber for the Padres on Opening Day to counter reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers. The announcement came Monday morning as San Diego prepares to break spring camp after their Cactus League finale against the Seattle Mariners.
Piv gets the nod 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RvIzWTafs4
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 23, 2026
Pivetta, 33, will be entrusted with setting the tone for a 2026 campaign filled with more of the same lofty expectations set over the last half-decade for the Brown & Gold.
The veteran hurler inked a four-year, $55 million contract ahead of the '25 season with the Padres and completely exceeded expectations. Pivetta managed to log career bests in virtually every stat and metric category, while also crediting Friars pitching coach Ruben Niebla for helping him unlock hidden potential he'd been searching for.
Pivetta pitched to a 13-5 record with 2.87 ERA, 190 strikeouts, and a 0.99 WHIP in 181 2/3 innings. He also placed sixth in National League Cy Young Award voting.
After receiving the news of receiving his first career Opening Day start, Pivetta spoke with reporters outside of the Peoria Sports Complex and expressed his emotions for the opportunity:
"Just grateful for the opportunity. Excited to get out of Arizona and just start the season off in sunny San Diego," he said. "You just look at the guys that have gone on Opening Day's in the past that I've played with and they're all great pitchers and great human beings —it's just an honor to be able to get that and hopefully I can start off on a good start," he added.
First pitch is slated for 1:10 p.m. on Thursday, March 26.