Tuesday night was a resounding success for the San Diego Padres. They were dominant in Game 1 of their Wild Card series against the Chicago Cubs, taking an 8-0 victory behind a torrid night from the offense as well as a solid outing from starting pitcher Michael King, who threw seven innings of shutout baseball.

But amid the Padres' all-important that victory that puts them one win away from an NLDS berth, they also saw a beloved veteran in Joe Musgrove return to action after being absent for over two years. Musgrove last pitched on October 2, 2024, being absent for two full regular season campaigns after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2024.

Musgrove ended up shutting the door on the Cubs in the ninth inning on Tuesday; while he did allow two hits and a walk, he struck out two and did enough to finish off the game for San Diego. And the Padres fanbase recognized just how long the road Musgrove took in his return back to the big-league mound is by giving him a rousing standing ovation when he came off the bullpen.

A standing ovation for Joe Musgrove as he comes in to pitch for the first time since the NL Wild Card Series against Atlanta on October 2, 2024 pic.twitter.com/Bc6Tw8wlKE

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 30, 2026

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It was a ballsy move for the Padres to activate Musgrove from the injured list and have him make his season debut in the postseason. But they had a perfect storm of a Game 1, and they had a safe enough cushion that they didn't even need to deploy their best bullpen arms such as Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller.

Musgrove is a starter by trade, so he can at least soak up multiple innings for the Padres in a postseason setting, making him a potentially valuable weapon. And he showed on Monday that he still has some sharp stuff, if his two strikeouts are any indication.

And perhaps, as a continuation of this fairytale return, he could even play a role in clinching San Diego's spot in the NLDS by coming off the pen yet again in Game 2.