Of course he did.
Making his second start for his hometown San Diego Padres, former Pirate Joe Musgrove on Friday tossed the first no-hitter in franchise history to beat the Texas Rangers, 3-0, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Musgrove was actually pretty darn close to a perfect game, walking none but hitting Rangers right fielder Joey Gallo in the fourth inning.
The right-hander, whom the Pirates traded to San Diego in January, struck out 10 over his nine innings, throwing 112 pitches, 77 for strikes.
“I’m freaking exhausted, man,” Musgrove told Fox Sports San Diego on the TV broadcast. “That was the maximum level of focus I’ve ever had. There’s no way I was coming out of that game.”
After the final out was recorded — an easy groundout to shortstop — Musgrove’s teammates mobbed him, as the Padres celebrated the historic accomplishment.
POV: You just witnessed the first no-hitter in @Padres history. pic.twitter.com/qC8FUBWX1s
— MLB (@MLB) April 10, 2021
The franchise has been around since 1969 and has flirted with no-hitters before, but Musgrove — who grew up going to Padres games at both Qualcomm Stadium and Petco Park with his father, Mark, was the first to close one out.
Musgrove is from El Cajon, Calif. and went to Grossmont High, the same alma mater as current Pirates pitcher Steven Brault. Grossmont is about a 20-minute drive from where Musgrove now works.
The Pirates acquired Musgrove along with Colin Moran, Michael Feliz and Jason Martin from Houston in the Gerrit Cole trade. Musgrove, who was a reliever on the Astros’ World Series-winning club in 2017, was the Pirates’ opening day starter last season.
In 58 starts over three years in Pittsburgh, Musgrove had a 4.23 ERA and a 1.205 WHIP. When healthy, Musgrove was inarguably the Pirates’ top pitcher.
Last season was huge in Musgrove’s development, as he shortened his arm path and refined his mechanics. He throws six pitches and mixes those with tremendous athleticism and a competitive fire.
The Pirates traded Musgrove for a package of five prospects, including outfielder Hudson Head, Mars native David Bednar, left-hander Omar Cruz, right-hander Drake Fellows and catcher Endy Rodriguez, whom they technically got from the Mets.
Musgrove largely expected the trade and left Pittsburgh with no hard feelings whatsoever. In fact, he credited his time with the Pirates for helping him develop as a starting pitcher.
“I feel like my personality and how I was raised really fit in Pittsburgh,” Musgrove said after the trade. “I’m bummed that I didn’t get a chance to make a postseason run with that team and experience what that stadium is like in the postseason. But there was so much growth for me there.”
It’s been a frustrating run for Pirates fans, watching so many former pitchers shine with other teams. It’s obviously not confined to this year, but it’s been especially bad over the first nine days of the 2021 season.
In two starts for Gerrit Cole, Musgrove and Tyler Glasnow, plus one apiece for Trevor Williams and Jameson Taillon, that group has allowed just seven earned runs over 50 innings (1.26) while walking just six and piling up 67 strikeouts.
Musgrove is now 2-0 in two starts for his new team, allowing no runs and just three hits in 15 innings. He’s walked none and struck out 18. Dating back to last season with the Pirates, Musgrove has pitched 31 consecutive scoreless innings.
According to MLB.com, Musgrove became just the sixth pitcher since 1990 to throw a no-hitter for a team from the state where he was born.
“I’ve never even thrown a no-hitter in my life, so my first one came [Friday] on this field,” Musgrove said. “It’s awesome to have it be in a Padres uniform and for it to be the first one for the franchise. That’s incredible.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: April 10, 2021, 3:04 a.m.
