Joe Musgrove made history for the San Diego Padres when he threw a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers, and the Padres announcers went nuts.
Somewhere around the fifth inning of Friday’s meeting between the San Diego Padres and the Texas Rangers, Padres fans started inching closer to their TV sets. By the ninth inning, San Diego native Joe Musgrove had thrown the franchise’s first no-hitter, and Padres announcers were about to jump through the television.
Padres announcers Don Orsillo and Mark Grant tried to play it cool heading into the ninth inning. No one wanted to jinx it, but it was in the air: Musgrove was on the cusp of franchise history.
When the moment came, it was magic. Orsillo doesn’t even try to hold back on his excitement:
Homegrown product Joe Musgrove tosses Padres’ first no-hitter
As soon as the last out came — a grounder to shortstop Ha-seong Kim, who tossed the ball in plenty of time to Jurickson Profar at first base — the entire team spilled forth from the dugout to congratulate their teammate.
A few items make this historic moment even sweeter: El Cajon native Musgrove grew up idolizing the Padres. He’s wearing former Padres hurler Jake Peavy’s number. His parents own Caffe Adesso in nearby Alpine, and Padres color analyst Mark Grant (also a former Padres pitcher) is a frequent customer; he and Musgrove have bonded over coffee and pitching since Musgrove’s return to San Diego as a Padres player.
Musgrove grew up watching Padres games at Qualcomm stadium before the team moved to Petco Park. It’s fitting that he threw a no-hitter mere days after the storied stadium was completely leveled.
In a particularly cosmic twist, Padres catcher Victor Caratini caught the last no-hitter.
Musgrove sealed the deal in 112 pitches, and during postgame interviews he was still as cool as he could be.
It only took 52 years for the Padres to reach this milestone. This could be yet another sign that the San Diego Padres are a team to watch in 2021.