Musgrove survives umpire pat-down as Padres dump 101-win Mets out of playoffs

Joe Musgrove brushed off chants of “Cheater!” after a bizarre spot check by umpires on the mound, pitching his hometown San Diego Padres into the next round of the playoffs on Sunday night with seven innings of one-hit ball in a 6-0 victory over the New York Mets.

The umpires checked the pitcher for illegal substances in the sixth inning – including a close look at his ears. Nothing was found and the game continued.

Ear check. This happened. pic.twitter.com/Qasf2Logt4

Trent Grisham hit an RBI single and made a terrific catch in center field that helped the Padres take the best-of-three National League wild-card series 2-1. Austin Nola and Juan Soto each had a two-run single.

Buck Showalter just asked umpires to check Joe Musgrove for evidence of sticky stuff. They searched his glove, hat and ears and appeared to come away satisfied. TSA would be impressed with the thoroughness of that search.

San Diego advanced to face the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-five Division Series beginning Tuesday – ensuring the Padres will play in front of their home fans in the postseason for the first time in 16 years when they return to Petco Park for Game 3.

“We know that. We would love for them to be able to see some postseason games,” manager Bob Melvin said Sunday afternoon. “To an extent, we feel like they’re a part of us.”

It was the fifth time the Padres have won a playoff series. They took a first-round matchup against St. Louis in their own ballpark with no fans permitted after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before being swept in the Division Series by the eventual World Series champion Dodgers.

For the Mets, a scintillating season ended with a whimper at home in front of empty seats. Baseball’s biggest spenders