NEW YORK — San Diego Padres starter Joe Musgrove knew Sunday was the biggest start of his life and felt sick to his stomach all day.
The stakes were high. A winner-takes-all playoff finale pitching in front of a hostile New York City crowd at Citi Field. San Diego needed a strong start from the righty after the team struggled in Game 2 against the New York Mets.
As Musgrove contemplated the five-year, $100 million contract the Padres rewarded him with in August, he felt the weight of his team’s season falling onto his shoulders.
But as first pitch ticked closer and Musgrove warmed up in the Citi Field bullpen, he pulled aside Padres catcher Austin Nola to talk about the night ahead of them.
“I’m going to have the best start of my life,” Musgrove told Nola.
His premonition came true, as Musgrove went seven innings, allowing just one hit and one walk and striking out five batters, propelling the Padres to a 6-0 victory and punching a ticket to the National League Division Series and a matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the process, Musgrove made history, becoming the first pitcher in major league history to throw seven shutout innings and allow one hit in a winner-takes-all postseason game.
Throughout the evening, Musgrove relied on his fastball, cutter, curveball and slider to completely dominate the Mets’ lineup, retiring the first 12 batters of the game, good for the longest perfect-game bid in Padres postseason history. The Mets struggled to mount any offensive momentum against the Padres, with first baseman Pete Alonso tallying the only Mets hit of the evening in the fifth inning.
“You could see the resolve in [Musgrove’s] face and the demeanor he had,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “He was on a mission today.”
An odd moment came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Mets manager Buck Showalter requested a substance check on Musgrove as pictures circulated online of the Padres starter’s ear appearing to shine. Umpires subsequently dug their…
Source : espn
