Musgrove savors throwing Padres’ initial no-hitter
Lifelong San Diego fan ends 52-year drought
ARLINGTON, Texas — A longtime member of the Friar Faithful, Joe Musgrove knew all about San Diego’s no-hitter history.
There wasn’t any.
Until now.
Musgrove, a 28-year-old pitcher who grew up just down the road in El Cajon, California, threw the Padres’ first no-hitter — in the team’s 8,206th regular-season game — allowing only one baserunner in a 3-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.
San Diego had been the only active major-league franchise without a no-hitter.
“It’s awesome to have it be in a Padres uniform,” said Musgrove, who had never thrown a no-hitter at any level.
“To have it be the first in the history of the franchise, that’s incredible.”
It was only Musgrove’s second start for the Padres — a team that started playing in 1969, for which his family has long had season tickets, and for which he now wears No. 44 to honor former Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy, one of his favorite players growing up.
Musgrove (2-0) struck out 10 and faced 28 batters, one over the minimum. He threw 77 of his 112 pitches for strikes.
“I wasn’t coming out of that game,” he said. “Once I gave up the hit, I expected that would be my night, and I’d be all right with that. [But] I was just so locked in I had no intention of coming out of that game.”
Padres manager Jayce Tingler let Musgrove go the distance because he was so efficient — and knowing what it would mean to have a hometown player end the franchise’s no-hitter drought in its 53rd season.
“If it can be any sweeter, any more special for him, to do it growing up in San Diego and this being his team it’s about the perfect story written,” Tingler said.
The only Rangers baserunner was Joey Gallo, who was hit by a pitch with two outs in the fourth inning. Jose Trevino had a hard lineout to right field for the final out of the eighth, and pinch-hitter David Dahl ripped the first out of the ninth right at second baseman Jake Cronenworth. Isiah KinerFalefa made the final out, a routine grounder to shortstop.
“There was like three different scenarios where I thought I lost it,” said Musgrove, who described himself as “freaking exhausted.”
Musgrove is in his sixth majorleague season. He previously pitched for Houston (2016-17) and Pittsburgh (2018-20) and never had thrown a complete game in his previous 84 starts.
It was the first no-hitter in the majors this season and only the second complete game.
The majors’ last no-hitter was thrown by the Chicago Cubs’ Alec Mills on Sept. 13, 2020, against Milwaukee. His catcher was Victor Caratini, who was also behind the plate for Musgrove.
San Diego acquired Musgrove as part of a seven-player, three-team trade Jan. 19. The big right-hander pitched for Pittsburgh last season.
In his debut for San Diego, which came at home April 3, Musgrove struck out eight in six scoreless innings against Arizona. He had no walks in winning that game, when he threw 57 of 78 pitches for strikes.
It was the fourth time a no-hitter was thrown against the Rangers. The last had been by Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox on April 18, 2007.
According to Baseball-Reference, there had been 307 no-hitters in major-league history before Musgrove and the Padres. That included 293 individual no-hitters and 14 combined.
The Padres had their share of close calls in the past 52 seasons.
They came within one out twice, most recently on a combined bid started by Aaron Harang against the Dodgers on July 9, 2011. Juan Uribe ended that no-hitter with a double off Luke Gregerson, then scored a batter later in a 1-0 LA win.
This was the fourth no-hitter thrown in Arlington, the first thrown in the second-year stadium where the Padres played a National League Division Series last season. The last no-hitter in Arlington had been Kenny Rogers’ perfect game for Texas against the Angels on July 28, 1994.
“I think he threw all his pitches well,” said Trevino, the Texas catcher. “He threw them all for strikes. He attacked the zone, did what he was supposed to do.”
Wil Myers put the Padres ahead to stay in the second inning with his RBI double, then scored from second base on Tommy Pham’s flyout to deep right-center to make it 2-0 against Kohei Arihara (0-1).
Arihara made his first start for the Rangers after pitching the last six seasons in Japan. He allowed five hits and three runs (two earned) over four innings. He threw only 73 pitches.
The double by Myers got Eric Hosmer home from first base, though it took a replay review of nearly two minutes for the safe call to stand.
Hosmer got his left hand on the plate about the same time catcher Trevino’s sweeping tag got him on the shoulder.
Myers raced home after after Pham’s fly ball was caught by Leody Taveras on the track in front of the Texas bullpen in right-center .
Taveras made a clear catch, but when he turned to throw the ball back in, he scooped it out of his glove and it rolled away from him.