An 8-0 lead in the ninth inning usually means the celebration is already underway. But at Petco Park on Tuesday, the biggest roar of the night had little to do with the scoreboard. As the San Diego Padres cruised toward a dominant Wild Card Game 1 victory over the Chicago Cubs, a familiar face suddenly emerged from the dugout, one Padres fans had not seen on a major league mound since 2024. Jos Musgrove was back.

Out since October 2024, Musgrove’s surprise addition to the Padres’ Wild Card roster had already caught everyone off guard. But nothing could have prepared Petco Park for the moment he actually stepped onto the field. The stadium erupted as the veteran pitcher made his long-awaited return, and when he quietly closed out the ninth without much trouble, the ovation felt almost as significant as the Padres’ 8-0 victory itself.

“Padres fans go NUTS as Joe Musgrove enters a game for the first time since October 2, 2024,” Foul Territory shared via X.

Pulled from Game 2 of the 2024 Wild Card Series with elbow tightness, Musgrove was later diagnosed with a torn UCL, ending his postseason and requiring surgery.

The Padres’ $100 million reliever missed all of 2025 rehabbing Tommy John surgery. Returning in 2026, he faced multiple setbacks: spring training issues, a bone bruise, and arm soreness.

For months, Musgrove remained largely out of the spotlight, his recovery progress kept private. Thus, the entire Petco Park was caught by surprise, seeing Musgrove enter the mound on Tuesday. 47,084 attendees at Petco Park pushed up the decibel meter, seeing the veteran enter the mound. That certainly threw the pitcher a bit. “I still can’t really put it together. It’s been a while since I’ve been out of the bullpen,” Musgrove said after the game.

“We’re banking on him, and of all the guys in the clubhouse, he’s probably one of the top guys that you can trust,” manager Craig Stammen said before the game.

Musgrove proved his effectiveness. He struck out Michael Busch with three pitches. But then he allowed a single to Seiya Suzuki, walked Ian Happ, and allowed another single to Nico Hoerner to load the bases. Things started to look tense, and the Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla visited the mound.

No further hiccups for Musgrove as he went on to get Pedro Ramirez to pop out to second base and then punched out pinch-hitter Michael Conforto. “I still can’t really put it together. It’s been a while since I’ve been out of the bullpen,” Musgrove added. “I’m managing the nerves and the energy of the stadium. It was different for me, but I was so excited to get back on the mound. It felt like home out there. A little bit of nerves coming in, but it felt great.”

Apart from Musgrove’s blockbuster return, the Padres’ entire pitching department also deserves credit for their shutout win.

The Padres maintained their home-field dominance

The Padres were a different beast at Petco Park in the regular season. They won 26 of their last 32 home games. “This is going to be a problem for the Cubs. I don’t see the Cubs surviving this. I see the Padres winning it, but we’ll just have to see how this all goes down,” MLB analyst Ken Rosenthal predicted the outcome a day ago.

However, the Padres also proved Rosenthal’s another prediction wrong. “The Padres don’t play defense quite as well,” he predicted. The Padres’ pitching didn’t allow a single run to the Cubs.

Michael King set an aggressive tone, striking out probable NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong on three pitches. King pitched 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing only two walks and a hit, while racking up 8 strikeouts.

Entering the second game of the Wild Card series, the Cubs face elimination; the Padres aim to close out the series in Game 2.