San Diego Padres starter Joe Musgrove could barely muster the willpower Friday night, so desperately needing to use the bathroom.<\/p>\n
He drank 11 or 12 water bottles, and, man, never did a dugout urinal look so inviting.<\/p>\n
Still, just like most ballplayers, the dude is superstitious.<\/p>\n
And since he was pitching a no-hitter, he couldn’t dare enter the nearby bathroom stall.<\/p>\n
“‘I had to [pee] so bad in the third of fourth inning,’’ Musgrove said, “but I just had to wait.’’<\/p>\n
Well, by the time Musgrove finally relieved himself, he had already made history.<\/p>\n
Musgrove, born and raised in the San Diego area, became the first pitcher in Padres history to throw a no-hitter in their 3-0 victory over the Texas Rangers.<\/p>\n
It was the first no-hitter in the 8,206 games played by the Padres, going back to April 8, 1969 when the expansion franchise played its inaugural game.<\/p>\n
This was before Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, or 350,000 fans descended upon Woodstock, or the release of "Abbey Road," the Beatles' last studio album.<\/p>\n
Now, 52 years later, the Padres had their first no-hitter, thrown by a kid who grew up a Padres’ fan, and was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to San Diego just three months ago.<\/p>\n
“It feels incredible,’’ Musgrove said. “This kid from Grossmont High School was the first one to throw a no-hitter in my own city.’’<\/p>\n
This is a family that had season tickets behind the right field wall. Musgrove remembers catching his first souvenir from a Padres player when outfielder Mark Kotsay tossed a ball to him. This is where he watched Jake Peavy, knowing it was cool to show emotion and be yourself, and taking Peavy’s old No. 44 upon his arrival.<\/p>\n
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