San Diego Padres pitcher trended on Twitter for a glossy ear. Baseball fans worldwide wondered what substance was on his ear; apparently, officials did too, as umpires visited the mound to check his ear.
Mets manager Buck Showalter requested a substance check for the $100 million pitcher in the sixth inning. Findings after an ear inspection did not result in any violations.
In response, Musgrove sent the Mets home. Through seven innings, Musgrove allowed one hit and one walk and threw five strikeouts. The Padres are now moving on to a battle with division rival Los Angeles Dodgers behind a 6-0 win.
“It almost just lit a fire under me,” Musgrove said after the win.
Padres manager Bob Melvin spoke to ESPN and revealed he was unhappy with the inspection.
“The problem I have is that Joe Musgrove is a man of character,” Melvin said. “Questioning his character, that’s the part I have a problem with and I’m here to tell everybody that Joe Musgrove is above board as any pitcher I know, any player I know, and unfortunately the reception he got after that was not warranted.”
The Division series of the MLB playoffs begin on Tuesday.
