SAN DIEGO — Joe Musgrove made an emotional return to the mound after nearly two years away as the San Diego Padres opened the National League Wild Card Series with an 8-0 win over the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. The Padres released their Wild Card roster the morning of Game 1, opting for 15 position players and 11 pitchers, with both Musgrove and Miguel Andujar included after finishing the regular season on the injured list.
The roster decisions raised eyebrows, but the plan for Musgrove became clear after an unsuccessful attempt to rehab as a starting pitcher. President of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller told the morning show on the Padres flagship station 97.3 The Fan that the club shifted Musgrove to shorter stints as a reliever, which produced a normal bounce-back for his arm. Preller said the soreness Musgrove reported after longer outings went away and he could pitch on a normal schedule, with his fastball topping out at 97 mph and his repertoire showing normal spin. His issue had been recovery, not stuff, and the breakthrough allowed him to prove he could contribute in the postseason.
The organization kept the progress quiet over the past couple of weeks while Musgrove worked in Arizona at the Peoria Sports Complex as the Padres clinched home-field advantage for the first round. Andujar, who had rehab appearances with Triple-A El Paso, continued working in Arizona in developmental and instructional games alongside Musgrove. During pregame introductions for Game 1, Musgrove received a rousing ovation, and the stage was set by Michael King throwing seven shutout innings and Yuki Matsui throwing 11 pitches in the eighth to carry an 8-0 lead into the ninth. NBC cameras stayed in the stadium instead of going to commercial break as Musgrove stepped out of the bullpen door to his walk-out song "Vampire" by Tribal Seeds, with the entire crowd standing and the Padres dugout rising to applaud the hometown pitcher.
Musgrove last threw a pitch in the majors on Oct. 2, 2024, when he exited after 3.2 innings against the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, allowing one hit and one run with four strikeouts. He had pitched that season knowing his elbow would eventually give out, and he underwent Tommy John and flexor tendon repair surgery on Oct. 11. He entered spring training hoping to return to the starting rotation by mid-season, but multiple episodes of arm soreness and poor recovery forced him to miss the entire regular season for San Diego.
In his first major league appearance in almost two years, Musgrove struck out the first hitter, then allowed two hits and a walk to load the bases with closer Mason Miller warming in the bullpen before striking out Michael Conforto for the final out as teammates lined up to congratulate him with hugs. Musgrove has one more year left on his contract and the long-term goal remains starting, but in the short term he has made himself available for any situation and any role this postseason, a versatility he previously showed pitching out of the bullpen when he won a World Series ring with the Houston Astros in 2017.