Photo from San Diego Union Tribune
Victor Caratini made history last week.
Though it may not be the first moment that comes to mind for most fans when they look back on the 2021 season, Caratini will remember April 9 for the rest of his life.
On Friday, San Diego Padres starter Joe Musgrove etched his name into the record books, firing the first no-hitter in the club’s 53-year history in a 3-0 win over the Texas Rangers.
You almost have to do a double-take. It seems that surely, in the span of 8,205 games, with as many great hurlers as San Diego has sent to the mound over the years, there would have been at least one in the team’s history. But the history books do not lie, and Musgrove’s historic outing will have a place in the Padres’ Hall of Honor very soon.
The player that may not get as much attention, but was extremely significant in his own right, was the man behind the plate for the no-hitter, Victor Caratini.
While Musgrove got the majority of the media attention, Caratini also made history, by becoming the first MLB catcher behind the plate for consecutive no-hitters in the league for different teams.
The last “no-no” in the league occurred on Sept. 13, 2020, when, you guessed it, Caratini was behind the plate as the Cubs’ Alec Mills fired a no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers. The next no-hitter to occur came on Friday, with the Musgrove-Caratini combo starring in the historic performance.
Traded from Chicago and sent out west prior to this season, Caratini has fit in nicely in his new role with the Padres.
In fact, as much as many Cubs fans hated to see the reliable backstop go, the Cubs could not hold onto two high-level catchers for much longer. Wilson Contreras has far and away separated himself as the starter, which led to frustration from Caratini in regards to playing time.
What Caratini accomplished is not by accident, nor coincidence, though the 27-year old did note following Friday’s game that it is “pretty rare to find yourself in those situations.”
Caratini’s success lies in preparation, both pregame and in-game. Musgrove described his catcher as “a mad scientist” between innings, trying to figure out how to keep the Rangers bats silent, and the no-hitter intact.
His preparation gives the pitchers confidence, as Padres manager Jayce Tingler told the press, and as the “quarterback” on the field, Caratini deserves an equal amount of credit for the historic performance. It is not easy to know the strengths and weaknesses of every opposing bat, to frame pitches, and call out the signs for each pitch. But that is what Caratini did on Friday, and has continued to do as San Diego’s starting catcher. There is no doubt that we will continue to see the Puerto Rican making headlines as the season progresses forth.
"He obviously receives well, calls a great game,” Tingler said. “Just being able to be on the same page, and you can't really do that without getting in a flow. And so there's got to be a ton of trust with both sides there. And I think Victor has won over the trust of a lot of those pitchers."
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