San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove dominated the New York Mets on Sunday night both before and after he was checked for foreign substances. Not only did the substance check not bother him, but Musgrove says it gave him some added motivation late in the game.
Musgrove was dominant in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series between the Padres and Mets. The right-hander helped his team win the series by allowing no runs and just one hit in seven innings. Prior to the start of the bottom of the sixth, Mets manager Buck Showalter asked the umpiring crew to check Musgrove for foreign substances. The umps complied and checked everything from Musgrove’s glove to his ears.
Nothing was found, and Musgrove breezed through a 1-2-3 sixth. He was asked about the substance check after he led the Padres to a 6-0 win. The 29-year-old chalked it up to the Mets being “desperate.”
Joe Musgrove on ESPN, on the Mets' goop check: "I get it, dude. They're on their last leg. They're desperate."
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) October 10, 2022
Musgrove also said the substance check gave him some extra juice.
Joe Musgrove on Buck Showalter's request for the umps to search him for substances: "It motivated me a little bit, man. It fired me up."
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 10, 2022
The Mets certainly were desperate. They were totally lost against Musgrove to the point where Showalter thought the Padres pitcher must be cheating. Even the Mets’ own TV announcer thought it was embarrassing that Showalter had the umpires check Musgrove.
Musgrove sent a funny message to the Mets after he was checked, but the box score was the real statement.
