Padres fans finally got the Joe Musgrove moment that makes it feel real again

The delusional period is finally over. Joe Musgrove has pitched in an official game. Following Musgrove's Tommy John surgery that kept him off the field in 2025, Padres fans were never truly sure when the right-hander would return to the mound. There was hope he would pitch at the tail-end of the season, but that never rose to surface.

Now that he is 33 years old, more question marks were brought to the table. Would his recovery take longer than normal? When he returns, will be anywhere near as good as he was prior to the procedure? Manager Craig Stammen shedded some good news before spring training that Musgrove would not have an innings limit, and that he would return to form.

Padres fans finally got the Joe Musgrove return moment that made the comeback hit home

It felt like wishful thinking until Musgrove pitched against Great Britain on Thursday. He struck out three batters in two innings with a visible jump in fastball velocity. Padres fans can not only breathe a sigh of relief that Musgrove is back, but they can also get excited for what's to come from in 2026.

It wasn't a perfect outing for Musgrove, but the fact that he threw is all that matters. Another bright side is that all three strikeouts came on different pitches. He's feeling comfortable with his entire arsenal already. That's a huge win.

In the first inning, Musgrove set Jazz Chisholm Jr. down swinging on a 95.2 MPH fastball. Then, he got Trayce Thompson out on three pitches, all of which were sliders. He ended the first inning by getting Nick Ward to swing at a 93.7 MPH cutter.

Musgrove looked strong enough for Craig Stammen to share that he believes his pitcher can be among the best in the National League this season. That's some high praise for a guy who has not pitched in an MLB game since 2024, but we'll take it. We'll buy into the hype. Musgrove is beloved as it is, but we can take it a step further and believe that he will be a horse in 2026.