San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove not only hurled the first no-hitter of the 2021 season last night, he also threw the first no-hitter in the 50 year plus history of the Padres.
Musgrove, 28, no-hit the Texas Rangers in Globe Life Park en route to a 3-0 victory for the Friars. It was only Musgrove's second appearance as a Padre as he was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a multi-player deal which also involved the New York Mets. Originally a first round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011, Musgrove was dealt to the Houston Astros the following season and would make his big league debut in 2016. After earning a World Series ring with the Astros in 2017, Houston sent him to the Pirates in the Gerrit Cole deal where he would pitch for the next three seasons.
Aside from being the first no-hitter in Padres history there are several others noteworthy things about this accomplishment. First and foremost, Musgrove is a San Diego native. The last Padres starting pitcher to take a no-hitter into the 9th was Chris Young in September 2006. Fifteen years later, Young is now the GM of the team Musgrove just no-hit. Finally, Padres catcher Victor Caratini also made some history becoming the first catcher to be behind the plate for back to back no-hitters with two different teams. Caratini caught Alec Mills' no-hitter last September when he was a member of the Chicago Cubs.
Rangers fans sure got their money's worth last night. I just hope they took the necessary COVID precautions.
Notwithstanding what may have happened in the stands doesn't take away from Musgrove's magnificent accomplishment.
No comments:
Post a Comment