MLB roundup: Padres' Pivetta to start vs. Tigers; Ohtani's jersey sells for $1.5M
· Yahoo Sports
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Nick Pivetta will make the first Opening Day start of his career on Thursday afternoon when the San Diego Padres host the Detroit Tigers.
Padres manager Craig Stammen made the announcement on Monday as the team was on the verge of ending spring training.
It won't be an easy assignment as the 33-year-old right-hander will face Tigers ace left-hander Tarik Skubal, who has won back-to-back American League Cy Young awards for the Tigers.
"We're excited for Nick to start Opening Day," Stammen said. "He was our best pitcher throughout the entire last season and was our No. 1 starter when we took on the Cubs in the wild-card series. He deserves to get the Opening Day nod."
Pivetta had a career-best season last year when he set personal highs for victories (13), ERA (2.87) and strikeouts (190). He lost just five decisions in 31 starts.
Pivetta is 69-76 with a 4.47 ERA in 254 career appearances (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. Fellow right-hander Randy Vasquez will start Saturday's series finale against the Tigers.
Right-hander Joe Musgrove will start the season on the injured list as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery on Oct. 24.
Ohtani WBC jersey sells for record $1.5M
An unsigned Shohei Ohtani game-used 2026 World Baseball Classic jersey sold for just north of $1.5 million Sunday night via MLB Auctions, shattering the previous high public sale of an Ohtani jersey, autographed with "24 NL MVP," which was $249,999 in 2025 on Fanatics.
While Sunday's sale did not come close to matching the price of other jerseys
Babe Ruth's "called shot" jersey from the 1932 World Series went for $24.12 million in 2024, or Jackie Robinson and Mickey Mantle (both more than $4 million) – it does raise the bar for future game-used Ohtani jersey sales from a major MLB event to perhaps match or eclipse Robinson and Mantle.
And just last Thursday, a one-of-a-kind 2025 Topps MVP gold Logoman patch autographed card of Ohtani and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge sold for $2.16 million via auction through Fanatics Premier. The card features special gold-embellished MLB logo jersey patches worn by each reigning MVP.
That sale marked the second time a Judge card has sold for more than $1 million, but a solo Ohtani 2025 Topps Chrome one-of-one gold Logoman patch autographed card sold through Fanatic Premier fetched $3 million.
Along with the $1.5 million jersey sale, the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar has three cards that have sold for $1 million or more.
Blue Jays extend manager, GM
The Toronto Blue Jays rewarded their leadership for last year's World Series appearance by extending the contracts of manger John Schneider and general manager Ross Atkins on Monday.
Both were entering the final years of their contracts. Schneider is now on board through 2028 and Atkins through 2031.
"Schneids has been, and will continue to be, an exceptional leader and manager in professional baseball because of his unwavering commitment to players," Atkins said in a statement. "Schneids understands what it takes to build a winning environment and works tirelessly to create exactly that. His blend of emotional intelligence and deep baseball knowledge truly sets him apart."
Schneider, 46, worked his way up through managing in the Blue Jays' minor league system before taking over as the big-league skipper in 2022 when Charlie Montoyo was fired after a slow start.
He has a 303-257 record at the helm, leading Toronto to three postseason appearances (2022, 2023, 2025) and one pennant. Toronto fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games in the 2025 World Series after finishing the regular season at 94-68 to claim the American League East title.
"I am ecstatic to continue leading the Blue Jays as we work to bring our incredible fans a championship team," Schneider said. "It's been a privilege to be 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 2025 American League Manager of the Year voting.
Atkins, 52, is the second-longest tenured general manager in Blue Jays' history, holding the position since December 2015.
The team reached the postseason five times under Atkins, though it also struggled through a rebuild in 2018 and 2019.
"Ross has done an outstanding job in building a deep foundation with an accomplished Baseball Operations team, best-in-class resources, and a collaborative culture," said Mark Shapiro, Toronto's president and CEO. "I am a strong supporter of stability and continuity, and Ross continues to make us better."
The Blue Jays open the 2026 season on Friday with the start of a three-game home series against the Athletics.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers will face San Diego Padres starter Nick Pivetta in opener.