Umpire Alfonso Marquez (72) and crew check for illegal substances on San Diego Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove (44) during the sixth inning in game three of the Wild Card series. Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Padres' Joe Musgrove gets ears checked for foreign substances

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 10/9/22

The New York Mets initiated a foreign substance check of Joe Musgrove prior to the start of the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 3 of their NL Wild Card Series with the San Diego Padres on Sunday night.

Musgrove had been pitching brilliantly for San Diego. He had allowed just one hit and no runs, and his Padres were leading 4-0. But Mets manager Buck Showalter asked the umpires to check out Musgrove, and the umpires complied.

During the substance check, the umpires examined Musgrove’s arms and hat. They even felt Musgrove’s ears, which had been drawing attention due to their shiny appearance.

Nothing appeared to come of the substance check, and Musgrove was allowed to remain in the game.

The umps just checked Joe Musgrove's… ears for a foreign substance? pic.twitter.com/VeAE5mNe9e

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) October 10, 2022

Musgrove was unbothered by the matter and mowed down the Mets 1-2-3 in the sixth.

The Padres ace was pumped up for the playoff game and throwing harder than usual. And the umpires thought he was doing it without any foreign substances.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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