Native product Musgrove tosses Padres’ first no-no

San Diego Padres just-hander Joe Musgrove did now stay unsleeping properly on Thursday evening. When he woke up Friday morning, his body felt tight. As he navigated thru his typical pre-beginning routine later in the afternoon, he changed into noticeably off. Then the game started and Musgrove drank about a dozen bottles of water, which made him in actual fact feel as if he would explode by around the fourth inning.

But he would possibly perchance maybe perchance now not attain anything about it.

He had but to permit any hits.

“That changed into the one thing I did now not must always rupture, the superstition of it,” Musgrove acknowledged. “I did now not must always must always proceed use the lavatory in the guts of a beginning.”

Musgrove by some capability held it in — and held off the Texas Rangers in the approach. The Padres’ starter, a local product who grew up rooting for the group of workers and wears No. 44 to honor feeble Cy Younger Award winner Jake Peavy, twirled the first no-hitter in franchise historic past correct thru a 3-0 victory at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Padres entered Friday as the preferrred group of workers in the majors to never file a no-hitter, nonetheless Musgrove snapped the bound at 8,206 standard-season video games by allowing absolute most practical one baserunner — on a success by pitch in the fourth — and placing out 10 batters over nine innings.

“I contain a no-hitter is special with out reference to where you’re taking part in,” Musgrove acknowledged, “nonetheless it completely practically looks as if this changed into meant to be.”

Musgrove, 28, retired the first 11 Rangers hitters in relate, then plunked Joey Gallo and retired the next 16. He started the bottom of the ninth with 103 pitches, a relating to pitch depend given the heightened warning managers are expressing with their pitchers coming off a shortened season. But Musgrove changed into hell-curved on persevering with to pitch.

“I changed into precise so locked in,” he added. “I had no intentions of popping out of that game.”

9 pitches later, he made historic past.

David Dahl lined out to 2nd baseman Jake Cronenworth, Leody Taveras hit a tapper again to the mound, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa produced a two-hopper to Ha-Seong Kim, who’s readily changing the injured Fernando Tatis Jr. at shortstop. Padres catcher Victor Caratini, who caught the latest no-hitter when Alec Mills did it for the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 13, 2020, sprinted to the mound for an emphatic hug before the rest of the group of workers formed a dogpile.

Musgrove grew up in El Cajon, California, roughly 15 miles from San Diego.

“It feels so wonderful,” acknowledged Musgrove, who had never thrown a no-hitter at any level. “The metropolis of San Diego has confirmed me a lot adore, even before I came to the Padres. Factual a San Diego kid that made it to the wide leagues, so it feels even better to achieve it in a Padres uniform and selfishly have the option to achieve it for my metropolis and know that the kid from Grossmont Excessive threw the first no-hitter.”

Musgrove threw 77 of his profession-high 112 pitches for strikes and relied mostly on breaking balls. He knew he hadn’t given up any hits by the time he accomplished the sixth inning, nonetheless he belief his pitch depend changed into too high for him to non-public any likelihood of finishing the game. When he seen it changed into absolute most practical at 67, he realized he had a shot. From that level on, Musgrove ditched his fastball entirely. He relied heavily on his curveball and slider, the latter of which changed into namely effective, and sprinkled in the occasional cutter to generate like a flash outs.

Musgrove’s again mute felt tight correct thru his pregame warm-up in the bullpen, and he felt as if he changed into pulling off pitches in the early innings. Two-thirds of the come thru the game, his shipping mute felt inconsistent, prompting a exiguous adjustment.

“I changed into precise form of willing my come thru these at-bats,” Musgrove acknowledged. “A vogue of believe in Vic, and then precise will.”

Padres manager Jayce Tingler let Musgrove proceed the distance because he changed into so surroundings friendly — and intellectual what it can maybe perchance point out to non-public a fatherland participant kill the franchise’s no-hitter drought in its 53rd season.

“I contain in a come that makes it, if it goes to be any sweeter, to any extent further special for him, to achieve it rising up in San Diego and this being his group of workers, it be about the preferrred myth written,” Tingler acknowledged.

Hall of Reputation closer Trevor Hoffman — who pitched larger than 15 years for the franchise — tweeted his congratulations to Musgrove.

Fatherland kid getting it performed!!! Congrats Joe!! @ItsbuccnJoe59

— Trevor Hoffman (@THoffman51) April 10, 2021

Musgrove changed into a barely unheralded acquisition from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the offseason, nonetheless that changed into absolute most practical since the Padres also added Yu Darvish and Blake Snell to the rotation. Musgrove — bought in a three-group of workers, seven-participant instructed Jan. 19 — brought identical promise to the Padres’ hopes of dethroning the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Nationwide League West. He dealt with ankle and triceps injuries final season, nonetheless he posted a 2.16 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 5 walks in 25 innings over his final 5 starts.

Two starts into his Padres profession, Musgrove has pitched 15 scoreless innings, placing out 18 batters whereas scattering precise three hits and issuing zero walks.

He’s the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in his first or 2nd beginning with a group of workers since Clay Buchholz did so in his 2nd beginning for the Boston Crimson Sox on Sept. 1, 2007, based fully on Elias Sports Bureau learn. Musgrove is the eighth pitcher in the stylish era to achieve it.

Friday marked his first time completing nine innings in the foremost leagues, which changed into illustrated by certainly one of his signature superstitions. Musgrove lines up nine pieces of gum on his towel before every beginning. He chews certainly one of them every half of-inning to relieve take his thoughts occupied, then spits it out onto the towel and grabs the plenty of.

“I strive to now not search out at the scoreboard as much as I’m able to, so I form of mark my innings by the runt pile of bubble gum that I spit out,” Musgrove acknowledged. “Tonight’s the first evening that I obtained to bite all nine pieces.”

The Associated Press contributed to this file.