Watch: San Diego Padres ace Joe Musgrove gestures to the New York Mets dugout after sensational performance in Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series
San Diego Padres ace and local hero Joe Musgrove took to the mound at Citi Field for the team's most crucial game of the season on Sunday (October 9) night.
The El Cajon, California native produced a stellar performance against a stacked New York Mets squad in Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series. Musgrove was almost untouchable during the night. He produced a gem with seven innings of no-run ball, one hit, one base on balls, and five strikeouts.
With the remarkable start, the 29-year-old also cemented his name in the history books. He became the first ever pitcher to pitch at least seven innings in a do-or-die game, having given up less than two hits.
After getting his last strikeout of the night, the San Diego Padres ace seemingly made a taunting gesture towards the New York Mets dugout. You can see it here:
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Joe Musgrove just gestured to the Mets dugout after his last strikeout 👀🍿 https://t.co/lCBzpPJNmP
"Joe Musgrove just gestured to the Mets dugout after his last strikeout 👀🍿" - @ FOX Sports: MLB
Prior to making the gesture, the 2022 All-Star was so dominant throughout the night that the New York Mets had him checked for possible illegal substance use.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Mets manager Buck Showalter approached the umpiring committee. He seemingly asked them to check Musgrove for any illegal substance, most specifically, on the ace's ears.
This led to a bizarre few minutes. Musgrove's teammates surrounded him on the mound along with San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin as the umpires checked the ace pitcher. Officials found no unusual substance in Musgrove's body, so the game went on and he stayed on the mound.
It is still unclear whether the New York Mets coaching staff asked for the inspection because they thought his performance was too good to be true. Alternately, they could've just been throwing him out of his rhythm.
Whatever the case may be, this motivated the Padres ace even more as he blanked the Mets' lineup and eventually taunted them before being taken out of the game.
The San Diego Padres comfortably won the game 6-0 and, in effect, eliminated the 101-win Mets from this year's postseason. They will next face their bitter rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.
San Diego Padres versus Los Angeles Dodgers: NLDS II
In their storied rivalry that dates back to 1969, the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers have only met in the playoffs just once. In the 2020 National League Division Series, the Blue Crew swept the Friars 3-0 on their way to the World Series crown that year.
This year, the two squads will play the sequel to their playoff rivalry.
The Padres have always been treated as the underdogs and inferiors of the California triumvirate. However, they've had some sensational performances this year and possess incredible talent on their roster.
It will be interesting to see if they can turn the tables against the Kings in the NL West and pull off perhaps the biggest playoff upset in recent times.