Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove’s strong showing against the Mets took an unexpected turn Sunday night thanks to a curious stoppage in the bottom of the sixth inning.
In the midst of a superb outing that saw Musgrove allow one hit and no runs, Mets manager Buck Showalter summoned the umpires to request a foreign substances check of the 2022 All-Star. San Diego led New York, 4–0, at the time of the stoppage.
The umps checked behind Musgrove’s ears, which appeared to be noticeably shiny throughout the night, hand, glove and hat as fans inside Citi Field booed the bizarre pause in play. The brief check did not yield any results, allowing the game to resume as normal.
After the stoppage, Musgrove, seemingly peeved by Showalter’s attempt to slow down his strong night, turned to the Mets dugout to let them know he did not appreciate the accusation.
While many fans may question the validity of the check, Musgrove ultimately proved his productivity came as the result of him simply being in a groove in a must-win matchup.
With the NL wild-card series tied 1–1, the Padres are on the verge of advancing after taking a 6–0 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning after a two-run Juan Soto single. The winner of Sunday’s game will move on to face the Dodgers in the National League Division Series.
