Padres' no-hitters and close calls

It took 52 years, but on April 9, 2021, the Padres, at long last, got their no-hitter courtesy of hometown kid Joe Musgrove. The wait for their second, fortunately, was much shorter -- it only took another three years for another first-year Padre, Dylan Cease, to add another entry to the now-growing list.

Here’s a look at both Padres no-hitters and a few of the famous close calls that preceded them.

July 25, 2024: Dylan Cease
Padres 3, Nationals 0

Cease, like his club, was no stranger to near-misses by this point in his career. Near the end of his breakout 2022 season, he’d come one out away from a no-hitter as a member of the White Sox before losing it on a single hit by 2024 Padres teammate Luis Arraez, then with the Twins. In that attempt, he recovered and took home a one-hit shutout, but he made no such concessions in Washington, D.C. Cease showcased everything viewers had come to expect from him in his gem, keeping the Nationals off-balance with his high-octane, effectively-wild repertoire, sprinkling three walks in amongst nine strikeouts (eight swinging) while throwing a career-high 114 pitches.

April 9, 2021: Joe Musgrove
Padres 3, Rangers 0

If a pitcher has ever made a better first impression than Musgrove, we’ve yet to see the evidence. In just his second start in a Padres uniform, Musgrove, acquired from the Pirates in January 2021, became just the eighth pitcher in the Modern Era (since 1900) to throw a no-hitter in one of his first two starts with a team, with a fourth-inning hit by pitch the only thing standing between him and perfection. While the team on the wrong end of a no-hitter is often a forgettable bit of trivia, in this case, they were worth noting; brand-new Rangers GM Chris Young had very nearly been the guy to end San Diego’s drought 15 years earlier, when he came within two outs of a no-hitter on Sept. 22, 2006.

CLOSE CALLS

July 17, 2019

Chris Paddack pitched in Miami for the first time, pitching on the Marlins Park mound, but in a Padres' uniform -- not the uniform of the Marlins, who traded him in June 2016 to San Diego for Fernando Rodney. Paddack came close to doing something historic for his current franchise, throwing seven no-hit innings in a bid for the first no-hitter in Padres history. He threw seven no-hit innings before Starlin Castro led off the bottom of the eighth with a home run.

May 15, 2018
A dominant Jordan Lyles came five outs from recording the first no-hitter in Padres history against the Rockies. He was perfect for 7 1/3 innings until Trevor Story's one-out single in the eighth inning, ending both the perfect bid and the potential no-hitter. Lyles struck out 10 batters and walked one -- the batter after Story, Pat Valaika -- before his day was over. The Padres won 4-0.

April 20, 2018
Tyson Ross took his no-hit bid one batter further than Jordan Lyles would less than a month later. With two outs in the eighth, D-backs outfielder Christian Walker sent a line drive to straightaway center field. Off the bat, the play appeared routine, but center fielder Franchy Cordero broke inward at first. By the time he recovered, it was too late, and the ball soared over his head for a game-tying double. The Padres would rally for three runs in the ninth and a 4-1 victory.

July 9, 2011
Aaron Harang worked six no-hit innings against the Dodgers, and each of the next three relievers -- Josh Spence, Chad Qualls and Mike Adams -- would follow suit. But the Padres couldn't muster any offense of their own, and they headed to the bottom of the ninth inning locked in a scoreless tie. Luke Gregerson recorded two outs before Juan Uribe broke up the no-no with a double. The next batter, Dioner Navarro, doubled Uribe home, and the Dodgers walked off with a 1-0 win. It was only the second time the Padres had brought a no-hitter two outs deep into the ninth inning.

Sept. 7, 2008
Chris Young flirted with history for the second time with the Padres in 2008 -- with a perfect game bid. For 7 2/3 innings, Young did not allow a baserunner in Milwaukee. He was sitting on only 75 pitches when Gabe Kapler took him deep with a 1-0 fastball. Young would later polish off a complete-game two-hitter and a 10-1 Padres victory.

Sept. 22, 2006
Young had gotten close to pitching that historic game for the Padres in 2006, too, when he carried a no-no into the ninth inning against the Pirates at Petco Park. With one out, pinch-hitter Joe Randa launched a two-run homer off Young, who would strike out the next hitter before exiting after 8 2/3 innings of one-hit ball. The Padres won, 6-2.

July 18, 1972
Right-hander Steve Arlin had tossed 8 2/3 innings of no-hit ball when Phillies second baseman Denny Doyle strode to the plate in the ninth. Padres skipper Don Zimmer brought third baseman Dave Roberts in to guard against a bunt or a slow grounder. Doyle hit a chopper that bounced over Roberts' head. Flustered, Arlin allowed the run to score on a balk and a single, but he would record the final out of a 5-1 victory.

July 21, 1970
Perhaps the most infamous of the Padres' no-hit bids, Clay Kirby was sitting on eight no-hit frames against the Mets when manager Preston Gomez lifted him for a pinch-hitter. San Diego trailed, 1-0, at the time, and Cito Gaston would strike out in Kirby's place. The no-hitter came to an end in the top of the ninth when Bud Harrelson led off with a single. The Padres would lose the game, 3-0.