WHAT’S UP, JOE?
Pitcher threw a no-hitter in his new role with hometown Padres
Fresh off throwing the season’s first no-hitter, former Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove starts against his old team Wednesday night. He spoke with the PG’s Jason Mackey .
“I feel like I cemented myself in [Pittsburgh] pretty early with the way that I play the game.” — Joe Musgrove
Joe Musgrove walked slowly across the outfield grass at PNC Park, chatting with fellow Padres pitcher Blake Snell before Monday’s game. When the two neared the first-base line, Musgrove began hearing his name called from the stands and waved to a few groups of friendly fans.
While Musgrove’s return to Pittsburgh would have been met with plenty of fanfare anyway, given how much he was loved and respected, it has been turned up several notches due to the guest the right- handed pitcher brought with him.
You know, right? The nohitter he threw Friday in Texas.
“Coming off the start that I just had, it’s really easy to ride that high for too long,” Musgrove said. “Your season can take a quick turn downhill. That was a really cool moment. It’s definitely worth taking some time to celebrate and enjoy. But I’m trying to move past that now and get ready for this next start.”
The post-no-hitter life has been interesting for Musgrove to say the least. The soreness, for one. Musgrove said he hardly slept the first two nights, which threw a wrench into his recovery. His body ached. His mind raced. Another example involved The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which wanted some memorabilia from the game.
Musgrove kept his glove, wanting to one day pass it down to his kids, but donated his spikes as a tradeoff. The result was having to have a new pair shipped here.
To add to the busyness, Musgrove is actually here with his mom and one of his sisters, as he completed the sale of his Lawrenceville home before Tuesday’s game.
Thus officially ends that chapter of Musgrove’s life, although he will long appreciate what Pittsburgh meant to him personally and professionally.
“I love this city, man,” Musgrove said. “It really grew on me over the couple years I was here. The bluecollar lifestyle … I feel like I cemented myself in the city pretty early with the way that I play the game. The fact that I kind of dove into the culture of the city and really tried to take that on and embrace it, I feel like I had a lot of fans here and a lot of family. It’s sad to leave, but I’m super excited to be back home in San Diego with a chance to compete for a World Series.
“I really did enjoy my time there,” he added later. “Selfishly, it made me a lot better player.”
That took a number of twists and turns, he explained. An interesting admission on Musgrove’s part was that he probably tried to do a little too much in terms of a leadership role. Smart, articulate and easy to like and respect, Musgrove was a natural fit for that role. But it seemingly took a toll on his own preparation.
“I got outside of myself and felt like I needed to act like the veteran who always had the right answers and didn’t need to ask questions,” he said. “I wanted to give off the presence that I was the guy to come to for help, and I just dug myself a hole, man.
“It felt like every run that I gave up was three runs. It just added to extra pressure trying to carry the weight of everyone on the team instead of just doing my job and focusing on myself.”
The experience of the nohitter has created a constant stream of excitement in Musgrove’s life, as well as ample interview requests to fulfill.
It’s a big departure from the last time Musgrove walked across this outfield, the Pirates mired at the bottom of the MLB standings and playing out the string. But Pirates fans can take solace in the fact that the roots of Musgrove’s breakout were seemingly planted here around that time.
That’s when Musgrove returned from injury, finally felt good about some mechanical adjustments and pitched to a 2.16 ERA with 38 strikeouts against just five walks over his final five starts (25 innings).
Throwing a no-hitter took Musgrove to another place he has never been, the physical and mental exhaustion helping him learn more lessons. And even though there will be plenty of jawing back and forth with his former club, continuing to harness those thoughts and feelings remains the most important goal.
“The confidence from [the no-hitter] reassured me that the things I’m doing are paying off,” he said. “I feel like I’m starting to figure out what I’m truly capable of and who I am as a pitcher.”