The San Diego Padres, a no-hitter and Shohei Ohtani: Joe Musgrove joins 'Flippin' Bats'
It's not every day that a player gets to suit up for the franchise he grew up rooting for.
But that is exactly the situation in which Joe Musgrove finds himself as a member of the San Diego Padres.
The starting pitcher stopped by "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander" to shed some light on what it felt like when he was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to his hometown Padres.
"Just those feelings, man, I mean so much excitement," Musgrove said. "It's kind of like a little kid freaking out when they meet a celebrity or somebody they are really excited to meet. Just that feeling of joy. There's also that wave of anxiety or nervousness about coming back to my hometown, playing in front of my family and friends."
Musgrove was one of the major offseason additions to a Padres team that returned to the postseason last year. Musgrove, Yu Darvish and Blake Snell were all picked up to fortify the starting pitching rotation.
Musgrove believes that with the amount of talent on the roster, the Padres are close to breaking through and becoming legitimate contenders, despite the team's recent run of losing 13 of its past 17 games.
"I think it's right there. We just have to go out and give ourselves the opportunity," he said. "There's too much talent on this team for things to be going the way they have been going for much longer."
Joe Musgrove talks Padres' championship aspirations
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This season for the Padres has been up and down, but Musgrove provided one of the brightest moments — not just of the season but also in franchise history.
He tossed the first no-hitter of 2021 on April 9 against the Texas Rangers, etching his name in team lore with the first no-hitter ever for the Padres.
"I've never thrown a no-hitter in my life, from little league all the way up through high school, pro ball," he said. "That was my first experience going nine innings. I had never gone a complete game before, so I knocked a lot of things off."
Joe Musgrove walks through the nerves he felt throwing a no-hitter earlier this season ' Flippin' Bats
Since that day, Musgrove has continued to have a strong year overall, with a career-low 2.85 ERA and a career-high 169 strikeouts. Joining him in having a breakout year has been another star player in the state of California.
Musgrove knows the discipline and work required to be an elite pitcher at the MLB level, which is why he has been amazed by the ability of Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels to both pitch and hit like an All-Star this season.
"I don't know as much from the hitting side, but at the professional level, the amount of time and dedication it takes to be a high-caliber, quality pitcher in the big leagues is extremely difficult," Musgrove said. "And to be able to do that on both sides of the ball is extremely impressive."
Joe Musgrove on Shohei Ohtani's impact as a two-way player
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Ohtani currently leads MLB with 42 home runs, and Musgrove's teammate Fernando Tatis Jr. is fourth, with 36.
But Musgrove believes Tatis' star power goes beyond his talent and ability on the field to his charisma and charm with fans.
"Some people just got it, man. Some people just got it," Musgrove said of Tatis. "A lot of it is genuine. That's just who he is as a player. That's who he is as a person."
Joe Musgrove on Fernando Tatis Jr's impact on the field and embracing his role off the field
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For more from Joe Musgrove and Ben Verlander, watch the full episode of "Flippin’ Bats" below:
Ben Verlander is an MLB Analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @Verly32.
