San Diego Padres Clay Kirby 1982 Feature

A name from the Padres' past has popped up recently, now that Joe Musgrove has pitched the first no-hitter in the team’s history. Longtime fans remember back in 1970, a Padres pitcher named Clay Kirby had a no-hitter for eight innings before Manager Preston Gomez removed him for a pinch hitter. Fans were outraged, and it was a half century before a Padre pitcher actually finished a no hitter. Back in 1982, Hal Clement went to catch up with Kirby, who was out of baseball but still very much in love with the game. Kirby was not alive to see a Padre pitcher finally throw a no hitter. He died of a heart attack in 1991. He was only 43 years old.