A weird scene took place last night during Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series between the San Diego Padres and New York Mets.
Joe Musgrove got the start for the Padres and was dealing, throwing seven scoreless innings and allowing just one run.
But in the bottom of the sixth, Mets manager Buck Showalter asked the umpires to check Musgrove for potential foreign substances, and they even went as far as the check behind Musgrove’s ears.
Ultimately, nothing was found, but it didn’t matter anyway.
Musgrove remained focused on the task at hand and said that the checking didn’t affect him in the slightest.
Joe Musgrove said it wasn't Red Hot ointment on his ears, as some have speculated. He said he got a massage shortly before the game. "It could've been lotion or it could've been anything. But they checked, they found nothing."
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) October 10, 2022
Musgrove Unaffected By Substance Check
It’s interesting that the Mets decided to get Musgrove checked.
It’s even weirder that the umpires actually checked behind his ears to see if there was anything there.
The Mets seemed to think that there was something back there.
Clearly, the umpires found nothing and it’s also quite evident that Musgrove was not affected in any way, shape, or form.
Musgrove had one goal in mind, and that was to beat the Mets and send San Diego to the NLDS for the first time in a full season since 2006.
He ultimately accomplished that goal and silenced the Mets through seven as the Padres got the last laugh.
After Musgrove was done, Robert Suarez and Josh Hader combined for two perfect innings to send the Padres to the next round and send the Mets home for the winter.
Musgrove finished the night with five strikeouts and just one walks in addition to his seven scoreless frames.
The Padres will start the NLDS on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with Mike Clevinger getting the start in Game 1.
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