It has been a slow-build when it comes to the Red Sox' fans' relationship with Nick Pivetta.
The first signs of "Chaim Bloom won the trade" conversation came as early as last September, when Pivetta -- the pitcher who came to Boston with Connor Seabold for Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree -- gave up just two runs over 10 innings in his only two 2020 starts with the Sox.
The mild momentum continued with a strong start, with a 3 2/3-inning outing against the White Sox serving as a bit of a bump in the road. Then, last week, came a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
After that start against the Mariners in Fenway Park, Pivetta certainly seemed to cement himself as more of a solution than a question.
Finally, there was this. Five shutout innings against the Mets, allowing just one hit. And he did it against the world's best pitcher Jacob deGrom, to boot. (For more on the Red Sox' 1-0 win, click here.)
But what may have cemented the embrace between the Red Sox fandom and its new top-of-the-rotation pitcher was what Pivetta said after the game when asked about going up against deGrom.
“I think I’m just as good as deGrom, I think I’m obviously …. the way that I go into it is I have to mentally put myself in that I'm as good as deGrom and I'm going to be deGrom," Pivetta said. "That's just what you have to do. He's an incredible pitcher, don't get me wrong, I love watching him pitch. I think he's incredible. But I can't let him being up here, let me get down here. I have to go up and meet him right there and believe in myself. And the guys behind me make me believe in myself. The guys on the bench make me believe in myself. Christian Vazquez makes me believe in myself. Same with the coaching staff, you know, that's how you have to go on. We’re all on an even playing field at the end of the night, it's who's gonna go out and do what they need to do, and he's an incredible pitcher of course but I have to put myself on that level at the same time with my same confidence. I can't put anybody higher than I am, you know.”