Hometown pitcher Joe Musgrove throws the first no-hitter in San Diego Padres history on Friday night against Texas Rangers. Further, Padres defeated the Rangers 3-0 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
The Padres started their franchise in 1969, and have been the only Major League Baseball team to not record a no-hitter. With Joe Musgrove’s last night performance, San Diego has now finished their no-hitter drought.
On his nine shutout frames, Musgrove struck out ten batters and allowed only one base run after hitting outfielder Joey Gallo with a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning. “I looked up at the scoreboard to see what (the) pitch count was, and I was at, like, 67, and I was like, we’ve got some room to work with,” Musgrove said about his high pitch count.
It was the first no-hitter for Musgrove, too, and he is proud to perform for Padres as he will be added to San Diego’s history. Musgrove conveyed, “It feels really good to be in a Padres uniform when I did it. That was my first no-hitter I’ve ever thrown in my life. Pretty crazy it comes on a big-league stage and in a Padres uniform.”
Joe Musgrove: a blessing for San Diego Padres
San Diego-native Joe Musgrove just completed his second career game for the home town club. In Musgrove’s debut match against Arizona Diamondbacks, he initially passed six scoreless innings and allowed only three hits.
Musgrove completed 78 pitches throughout the six innings, and his scoreless inning helped Padres to cruise 7-0 victory over the D-backs at Petco Park. With that win, Padres were 3-0 for the first time since 1984.
Joe Musgrove #44 of the San Diego Padres celebrates with his team after pitching a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on April 09, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. This was the Padres first no-hitter in franchise history. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
However, Musgrove’s second game with the home team marked his first nine innings completion in the MLB. Padres will face off the Pirates in their next game, and Musgrove will surely look to continue his torrid pace against his old team.
Musgrove, who joined the Padres in the offseason, played only two games in the 2021 MLB season. The six-year MLB veteran struck out 18 batters over 15 shutout innings in two appearances with the Padres.
