3 things from the Padres 6-0 series-clinching win over the Mets

The San Diego Padres beat the New York Mets and all of their dirty tricks (and maybe found themselves in the process). Now, they're ready to slay the dragon in Los Angeles.

The San Diego Padres pulled it off! We can now rank, ahead of “didn’t collapse and miss the playoffs”, the Padres winning the Wild Card Series against the New York Mets as the best accomplishment of this strange and glorious season. It might be the best accomplishment of the last 20 years for the Padres, honestly.

My favorite part about this team, right now, is that they are the underdog and will remain an underdog for the rest of the playoffs. This isn’t the team trying to live up to lofty expectations or the team with an unbeatable starting lineup after the trade deadline. Despite having some genuine superstars on this roster, these guys are playing with absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Let’s get into the win. We’ll have plenty of time to talk about the Dodgers series tomorrow.

Musgrove’s moment

I heard this thing a year or so ago from Joe Musgrove. He said that he and his father had visualized what the dream career for him would be when he was in the minors. His dream career started with him winning a World Series at a young age (check), then coming to the Padres to get the big-money contract (check) and bringing a World Series to San Diego (not yet!).

I remember hearing Joe saying that and then quipping “We’re on track so far.” It kept ringing in my sweaty ears last night as I watched Musgrove pitch the game of his life, a performance that I felt topped even the night that he pitched the first no-hitter in Padres history.

In a winner-takes-all game, Joe pitched 7.0 scoreless innings and gave up just 1 hit and 1 walk, striking out 5 along the way. It was the first time in recorded MLB history that a pitcher did such a thing. We're in some rarified air here.

Not only did Joe dominate one of the five best offenses in baseball on the biggest stage and in the biggest moment, but he didn’t even fall apart when Mets’ manager Buck Showalter accused him of cheating in the 6th inning and had him checked (as if he wasn’t already being checked between innings) by the umpire crew.

ESPN @espn

Mets manager Buck Showalter called for a substance check on Joe Musgrove. The umpires looked at Musgrove's hand, glove, hat and ears. They found nothing and Musgrove remained in the game.

It was an absolutely embarrassing moment that showed that Buck didn’t understand why his team wasn’t hitting Musgrove, which shows a severe lack of knowledge about who Joe Musgrove is and what he has already accomplished in his career (including in the playoffs!).

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

Joe Musgrove gesturing towards the Mets dugout after his last strikeout 🥶 He's now thrown 6 scoreless innings in Queens (via @MLBONFOX)

Anyway, Joe didn’t let it get to him. He mowed through the 6th inning 1-2-3 and mocked Showalter on his way off the mound. Then he came back out for the 7th and gave up a walk and nothing else. He was never in danger the entire night. He was dominant. And the Mets were embarrassed.