Joe Musgrove, as you're probably aware by now, grew up in San Diego's East County and attended many a Padres game as a kid. His introduction to the Padres - Dodgers rivalry was ... well, it's very on-brand for the vitriol these fan bases feel for one another.
"At Qualcomm (Stadium), Phil Nevin was hitting batting practice and I'd gone in early with one of my buddies to watch batting practice," says Musgrove. "My parents had taken us in and gotten us situated then I think somebody ran back to the car to grab the rest of the people to come in so we're sitting in the outfield watching BP. Nevin hits a ball in the cup holder a few rows to my left and me and this other kid are staring at it side to side. We're both waiting for someone to make the first move then it was a mad dash to get to the ball."
And who won the race?
"I think I got to it first and he tired to pull it out of my hand. We ended up getting in this little tussle and I punched the kid. I think it might have been the first kid I ever punched. I kind of looked at him kind of like oh my gosh what did I just do? And I got booted out by one of the security guards. So, that was my first Dodger game was getting kicked out. I was able to come back in with my parents but they weren't too happy about us getting into it."
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On Saturday night Joe has a chance to write his name in the history of the Padres-Dodgers series a slightly different way. He gets the ball to start Game 4 of the National League Division Series with his Padres leading two games to one. That means a win and the Friars are back in the National League Championship Series for the first time since 1998.
Pitchers are supposed to try and approach a game like this as just another start. Joe admits that's really not going to be possible.
"It's probably going to be a little bit more emotional so it's something I'll have to manage but that's something I'm going to make myself really aware of when I'm prepping," says Musgrove. "Going over every situation: the excitement, the joy, the struggle, whatever it might be that I'll encounter I'll be ready for it."
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The good news is he has another emotion-filled outing under his belt and it's fresh in his mind. Last Sunday, Musgrove threw 7.0 shutout innings in a winner-take-all Wild Card series game against the Mets in New York. Even though he's thrown a no-hitter, that was arguably the best start of his carear, and experience is a heck of a teacher.
"I think it'll help settle the nerves a little bit. By no means am I expecting to go out there and go 7.0 with one hit again," says Musgreove. "It's a little bit different of a lineup. They're very patient I've seen them enough now, and they've seen me enough to know what the attack play is so it's going to come down to execution and being a little bit unpredictable."
That's where having a 6-pitch arsenal comes in handy. Musgrove is not shy about deploying his weapons in unique ways, and he'll have to mix in a few wrinkles against a division opponent that's seen him on multiple occasions.
The Dodgers will counter with All-Star lefty Tyler Anderson, who owns a 1.88 ERA in four starts against the Padres this season. L.A.'s season is on the line, but this club has been in situations like this before. In 2020 they fell behind the Braves 3-1 in the NLCS and went on to win the World Series. Plus, they won 111 games in the regular season. A desperate team, especially a desperate talented team, is a dangerous thing. So, probably the best way for Musgrove to deal with the Dodgers?
Just go out and punch them in the mouth.
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