Ivan Nova will play for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day. The right-hander is enthusiastic and affirms his desire to stay in Pittsburgh.
I said it when I signed here and I still do:”This is the place where I want to be”, Nova said on Tuesday:”I love playing for the Pirates”.
Nova has been playing since the end of July 2016 for the Pirates, who had taken him by trade from the New York Yankees. Since then he is 16-16 with a 3.82 ERA over 42 starts. At the age of 31, manager Clint Hurdle calls him the “dean” of the press, because he is at least four years older than his pitcher colleagues.
It will be Nova’s first opening day start in his career. Interestingly, Nova also made his MLB debut in Comerica Park against the Tigers in May 2010 for the Yankees.
“It’s a privilege,”Nova said:”It’s the dream of every starting pitcher to start the season for his team.”
Nova came to the training camp with significantly less weight on the bones than at the end of last season,”I’ve worked harder than ever before in the off-season,”said Nova,”I was disappointed about the end of last season. I know I’m a better pitcher. I felt like I had let my team down. I don’t want another season like this.”
Nova alluded with his words to his weak second half of the 2017 season. In 13 starts he was 2-8 with a 5.83 ERA.
This article was published without prior view by the Major League Baseball.