Ex-Pirates P Joe Musgrove pitched a no-hitter for San Diego Friday. It was the first no-hitter in Padres history.
There are many reasons to indict the Pirates organization, but Musgrove’s no-hitter isn’t one. They traded away Joe Musgrove, not Cy Young.
Plenty of average pitchers throw no-hitters. Musgrove is just the latest. Musgrove was average here. He’ll be average in San Diego.
If Musgrove is better, perhaps it will be because he has more to pitch for. But if he morphs into Roger Clemens, it won’t because he left Pittsburgh. If the Pirates still had Musgrove, they would still be 3-6 and he wouldn’t be seen as part of their “future,” whenever that is.
Actually, Musgrove is 2-0 and has allowed three hits and no earned runs in 15 innings. Not bad. So perhaps the Pirates would be, say, 4-5.
Musgrove came to the Pirates from Houston in the Gerrit Cole trade. He got traded to San Diego for prospects. He was at both ends of the team’s vicious circle.
The Padres must not care about Musgrove’s arm because they let him throw 112 pitches Friday. Minimal risk produced an indelible moment. That used to be more common in sports.
By all accounts, Musgrove is a class guy. It’s good that he pitched a no-no. He's from San Diego, so it meant all the more.
But the Pirates have made plenty of mistakes bigger than trading Musgrove.
One currently plays RF.
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