Padres' Joe Musgrove Makes MLB History Not Seen Since 1945 in Wild-Card Win

The San Diego Padres didn't need Joe Musgrove for the first 162 games of the 2026 season. The right-hander was a surprising inclusion on the Padres' roster for their National League wild-card series against the Chicago Cubs. With an 8-0 lead, Musgrove got the final three outs on Tuesday sandwiched between standing ovations at Petco Park.

It was a historic performance on multiple levels.

Joe Musgrove enters.

Cinema. pic.twitter.com/g1Lz36w8qi
— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) September 30, 2026

Not counting debuts, only one player had previously appeared in a playoff game directly after not appearing in any game of the two prior regular seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau (relayed by MLB.com's A.J. Cassavell on Twitter/X).

That player — Chicago Cubs catcher Clyde McCullough — missed the 1944-45 regular seasons due to military service, then struck out in his only at-bat in the 1945 World Series.

Musgrove's career was not interrupted by a World War. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in October 2024, and wasn't cleared to pitch until recently. Even then, his availability for the wild-card round was in doubt until the last minute.

“It’s humbling to see the ovation that I got tonight,” Musgrove said to reporters after the game. “It’s been really hard for me to sit back and, you know, with the contract and all, and not pitch for two years. I’ve done everything in my power to get back on the mound, and it just hasn’t gone my way. But to still be welcomed back like that and give me that boost in the ninth was huge.”

The Cubs, who didn't have a hit against starter Michael King until the seventh inning, loaded the bases against Musgrove in the ninth. But he came back to strike out Michael Conforto to end the game, the largest shutout victory in a playoff game in Padres history.

Joe Musgrove finishes off the largest shutout win in Padres #Postseason history! pic.twitter.com/GVQwH4iER9
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2026

In so doing, Musgrove became the first player ever to appear in sequential postseason games in different seasons with no regular season games in between, per Elias.

"I know it's sentimental and emotional and awesome for him, but I don't think they're putting him on the roster if they don't think he's any good," NBC Sports analyst Clayton Kershaw said during Peacock's broadcast of the game. "So he must've shown them something to be able to not only come back, be put in the bullpen of the best bullpen in baseball, be put on the roster."

Joe Musgrove struck out the first batter he faced in nearly two years!

ABS challenge powered by @TMobile pic.twitter.com/e644t3lBtc
— MLB (@MLB) September 30, 2026

Musgrove, 33, said earlier this month that "something about high-intensity throws is just not allowing me to play catch for a couple days."

Either that changed, or the Padres felt confident about their pitching depth for Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) without Musgrove. Whether it was a one-time cameo, or a preview of what to expect in October, no one at Petco Park was complaining for a night about seeing Musgrove back on the mound in a Padres uniform.

"I mean, I was emotional out there," King said after the game. "I never go back out to the field after I'm done pitching, but as soon as I saw him warming up, I had to go back out there to watch it. He means so much to this team and this city. To see the grind of rehab that he's had to go through for two straight years, I mean, it was awesome.

"To then get out of a bases-loaded jam, that's the big-game Joe we all know and love. I fully expect him to keep going throughout this postseason."

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