Derek Holland’s phone erupted with an alert Sunday morning while he chatted with reporters on a Zoom conference call from Chicago.

It was time for him to spit, the preferred method used for players’ covid-19 tests.

What? No nasal swab?

“Hell, no,” Holland said. “If they did, I’d retire. I’ll tell you that right now.”

That’s what he said, but you get the feeling from Holland, a 33-year-old veteran of 12 big league seasons, that it would take more than a Q-tip up his nose to end his career.

The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher has found his fifth home, signing a minor-league contract in the offseason and pitching his way into the starting rotation.

He made his second start — and the 224th of his career — Monday night against the Minnesota Twins, a return to the American League where he spent nine seasons and recorded 69 of his 78 career victories.

While venturing into his second decade in the majors, Holland understands the game has changed, especially for pitchers who often are not permitted to go beyond six innings.

Teams are so cautious with starters that Pirates manager Derek Shelton yanked Steven Brault after three perfect innings Sunday against the Cubs.

Last season, 21 of the 30 teams recorded one or zero complete games. The Pirates had one — by Jameson Taillon in a 3-1 victory against the San Francisco Giants — but it was shortened by rain to five innings.

The morning after the Pirates lost pitchers Mitch Keller and Michael Feliz to the injured list Saturday, bench coach Don Kelly greeted Shelton with news that two other pitchers elsewhere also left games with injuries.

“One of the things we’re finding out throughout the game is we have to be very mindful of pitching,” Shelton said. “I know you guys probably get sick of me saying that every day.

“The one thing we have to be thoughtful about moving forward is we affect 2021, too, if we have injuries. I think you’re going to see a lot of people being cautious.”

Shelton noted that 100 pitches is often referred to as the limit for most pitchers, but he said that’s not true in all cases.

“The number of pitches gets blown out of proportion because if they’re not high-intensity pitches,” he said. “Some guys throw 75 pitches, and they’re way more intense than a guy throwing 100.”

When Holland was asked why there are so few complete games, he initially wasn’t sure, but he did have some thoughts.

“The old times, before I was playing, pitch count was like 300 pitches, it feels like,” he said. “Also come back and throw three days later. The game has definitely changed and evolved in a different way.”

Pitchers used to throw complete games regularly. The Pirates’ record is 137, but that was in 1886. That number, of course, decreased dramatically over the years.

The Pirates had 43 when they won the 1971 World Series, 24 eight years later in their most recent championship. Their average over the past 10 years is 2.4.

Holland has completed nine games in his career, including four shutouts in 2011 when he was with the Texas Rangers. He was the losing pitcher for the Giants in the Taillon game last year, officially a complete game for both pitchers. Holland’s most recent nine-inning effort was in 2015.

Nonetheless, his goal every game is to finish and preserve bullpen arms for another day. That’s especially important Monday in Minnesota after Shelton used eight relief pitchers in an 11-inning loss to the Cubs on Sunday.

“My goal is to be a starter and a closer at the same time,” Holland said. “I treat it like a boxing match. These are my nine rounds. I need to go out there and make sure I win each round.”

Holland pitched into the sixth inning in his first Pirates start last Tuesday, an 8-6 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers. It was one of only two Pirates victories this season among their first nine games.

He said efficient use of his changeup was a significant element in his outing.

“The word I really want to say in excitement, I can’t,” he said of the successful changeup usage. “But I’m very happy with the way things have been going.”

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