Musgrove makes Padres’ history by throwing no-hitter
Credit: USA Today Sports
San Diego native and lifelong Padres fan Joe Musgrove made his second start for the San Diego Padres Friday night.
He made Padres and MLB history, throwing the first no-hitter in franchise history.
The Padres were the only team in all of baseball to enter the night without a no-hitter in franchise history. Now, there aren’t any teams without a no-hitter. San Diego will still be looking for its first perfect game, as Musgrove hit Joey Gallo with a pitch in the fourth inning. But the night was still extremely special.
In game 8,206, the @Padres have thrown their first #nohitter in franchise history thanks to @ItsbuccnJoe59! Time to pop some bottles!!!
— Padres No Hitter (@PadresNoHitter) April 10, 2021
“I don’t even know what to say right now,” Musgrove said. “It hasn’t even set in. Everyone dreams of getting the chance to throw a no-hitter. It’s awesome to be able to get to do it in a Padres uniform, and for it to be the first one in franchise history, that’s incredible.”
Musgrove struck out ten batters in the ballgame. Not only did he not allow a hit, but hitters for the Texas Rangers weren’t hitting him at all. Musgrove is yet to allow a run through his first two starts this year and is fully breaking out as many experts expected.
Joe Musgrove is the 6th pitcher since 1990 to throw a no-hitter for a team from the state where he was born, joining:
Jered Weaver (LAA)
Kevin Gross (LAD)
Nolan Ryan (TEX x2)
Terry Mulholland (PHI)
Dave Stewart (OAK)(h/t @EliasSports) https://t.co/uchxmvmzqk
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 10, 2021
One common denominator in both of Musgrove’s starts is the man behind the plate, Victor Caratini. Caratini has received rave reviews from Padres pitchers since spring training, and Musgrove did the same Friday.
“Vic was working back there,” Musgrove said. “He does such a good job, and I think part of it is him coming with Darvish. Having so many pitches to choose from, knowing how to navigate lineups, and use all of the weapons efficiently. It seemed like he knew when they were throwing first pitch and knew when they were taking, so we controlled the lineup and counts.”
Musgrove does have an injury history, so the Padres coaching staff has monitored his pitch count closely throughout spring training and his first start. When his pitch count kept rising, Padres manager Jayce Tingler didn’t budge.
Jayce Tingler said there was no chance he was taking Musgrove out of the game with a no-no. Those relievers warming would've only pitched in the event of a hit.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) April 10, 2021
In other news, Trent Grisham made his 2021 debut after missing the first seven games on the injured list. He made an instant impact, picking up two hits and making multiple impressive plays in the field.
The Padres got the offense going early, scoring three runs in the first three innings. Considering how the Padres finished their homestead, I’m sure it felt good for the offense to get it going. The success, however, did not last long, as the Padres failed to score after the third inning.
Starting pitching continues to lead the way for the Padres while the offense struggles to score runs. The rotation now boasts a 2.28 ERA through eight games. The bullpen, which did not make an appearance on Friday, is also off to a great start.
Padres bullpen has been stellar so far in the early going top to bottom, posting MLB leading 1.25 ERA. #Stingy
— Bob Scanlan (@heyscan) April 7, 2021
The offense will need to improve because the pitching will have rough games at some points.
[wpedon id=”49075″ align=”right”]
Chris Paddack will take the mound in his home state on Friday on what will be an impossible outing to follow. In Paddack’s first start, he allowed two earned runs in four innings. He will face RHP Jordan Lyles. Lyles once took a perfect game into the eighth inning as a Padre, oddly enough.
The first pitch will be at 4:05 PT.
Dominic is a graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Journalism. He also is the producer and co-host of the “Padres EVT Podcast.”