The Padres were not thrilled by the Mets’ request to inspect pitcher Joe Musgrove for foreign substances during San Diego’s series-clinching, 6-0 victory in New York on Sunday night.
In the sixth inning, with Musgrove twirling a gem for the Padres, Mets manager Buck Showalter instructed the umpires to investigate the pitcher for sticky substances, with the umpires going as far to inspect the righty’s ears. Whether it was gamesmanship or desperation, the gambit did not work, as Musgrove stayed in the game for seven shutout innings and allowed one hit.
Umpire Alfonso Marquez checks Joe Musgrove’s glove Getty Images“I think it (ticked) all of us off,” Padres outfielder Trent Grisham told the San Diego Union-Tribune after the game. “That seemed bush league to us, but it kind of got him where he needed to be.”
“I get it, dude,” Musgrove added. “They’re on their last leg. They’re desperate.”
Mets fans at Citi Field chanted, “Cheater! Cheater!” as the umpires inspected Musgrove’s glove and face for sticky substances. They found nothing, and Musgrove continued to dominate. After he struck out Tomas Nido soon after the check, he gestured toward the Mets dugout, pretending to wipe a fake substance off his nose.
The Padres now move on to face the Dodgers in the National League Division Series starting Tuesday night. The 101-win Mets, meanwhile, are headed home, a worst-case scenario for a team that held the NL East lead for almost the entire season before blowing it in the final week to the Braves, getting swept in Atlanta in the second-to-last series of the season.
