The San Diego Padres blanked the New York Mets, 6-0, and earned their ticket to the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
They were fueled by a masterful performance from Joe Musgrove on the mound: the right hander spun seven scoreless innings with just one hit and one walk.
He also struck out five Mets.
His performance was controversial because Mets manager Buck Showalter suspected he was using foreign substances to increase spin rates on his pitches.
Since Musgrove’s ear was shiny, Showalter requested the umpires to inspect it in the sixth inning, but they found nothing compromising and the game went on.
SNY’s columnist John Harper talked to some former MLB pitchers, who told him Showalter was justified in asking for the check for foreign substances.
“FWIW, two former major league pitchers told me today the jump in spin rates Sunday night for Musgrove from his regular season was a ‘red flag,’ indicating he was using a sticky substance. They had no issue with Showalter checking. Said one: ‘I would have done it sooner,'” Harper tweeted.
FWIW, two former major league pitchers told me today the jump in spin rates Sunday night for Musgrove from his regular season was a "red flag," indicating he was using a sticky substance. They had no issue with Showalter checking. Said one: "I would have done it sooner."
— John Harper (@NYNJHarper) October 10, 2022
MLB Banned The Use Of Foreign Substances On The Ball
As a reminder MLB banned sticky stuff, or foreign substances on the ball, last year in June because pitchers were using them to increase spin rates.
These substances help pitchers get a better grip, which often results in increasing spin rates.
The thing with increasing spin rates is that it has impact on the movement on the ball at the moment of pitching.
High-spin curveballs and sliders will have significant break; and fastballs with a high active spin will have the apparent “rise” element – which is not really rise, as it is physically impossible, but instead, delayed drop that makes a fastball much harder to hit.
The whole substance check ended up being an anecdote, as umpires found nothing, but that fact alone does not make him guilty or innocent: he may have wiped his ear before the check, for example.
We will never know, but since there was no evidence, Musgrove kept pitching and dominating.
NEXT: The Padres Are Seeking To Break A Century-Old Playoff Record