Ivan Nova was with the New York Yankees for 6 years, 10 [years] if you count his time in the minors. Nova appeared in 131 games in the famed pinstriped uniform mainly as a starter.
Starting at the beginning, Nova was an unheralded prospect when he signed with New York as an IFA in 2004. His breakout season in 2009, along with a strong start in 2010, led to his eventual promotion.
The righty made his debut on August 13th, 2010, for the Yankees in their home affair against the Detroit Tigers. The then 23-year-old notched 2 innings relief and recorded his first career strikeout at the big league level.
Nova quickly became a mainstay in the Bronx and established himself as a key member of the Yankees’ starting rotation during the 2011 season. Nova’s sophomore season in the Majors saw him produce a 3.70 ERA in 28 games (27 starts), pitching 165.1 innings and posting a 16-4 record.
2012 was a down year for Nova, posting a 5.02 ERA in 170.1 innings. 2013 was undoubtedly a rebound year with a 3.10 ERA across 139.1 innings between starting and relief appearances. Nova ended 2013 with a 9-6 record.
2015 and 2016 featured ERA’s of 5.07 and 4.90 with over 93 innings pitched for both seasons. The high ERA’s proved to be the downfall of Nova, dubbing him as an inconsistent pitcher.
The Yankees traded Nova to the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 1st, 2016, for Stephen Tarpley and Tito Polo. Nova had quick but short success in Pittsburgh, which saw him pitch 3 complete games, leading him to a 3-year, $26M contract extension.
Nova would be dealt from the Pirates over to the White Sox in the 2018/19 offseason and would later be out of the league completely after 2020.
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