Buck Showalter's Cheating Accusation Stunt in Big Game is Unacceptable

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by Julian Spivey
New York Mets manager Buck Showalter having the umpires check San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove for illegal substances at the beginning of the bottom of the sixth inning on Sunday night (Oct. 9) in the pivotal game three of the National League Wild Card Series was the most unsportsmanlike thing I can remember ever seeing from a coach of a pro sports team on such a big stage.

Showalter’s hitters had nothing for Musgrove on Sunday night only wracking up one measly hit in the first five innings off him before Showalter’s stunt. After the stunt they wouldn’t get a hit of Musgrove over his next two innings, nor a hit of Padres relievers Robert Suarez and Josh Hader after he left the game. The Mets laid a giant goose egg in the runs column of the scoreboard in their biggest game of the season despite winning 101 games in the regular season. They would lose the game 6-0 and the series 2-1 and have begun their off-season earlier than many expected.

When Showalter realized his hitters had nothing for Musgrove he decided to try to take matters into his own hand by asking the umpires to convene and check the pitcher for illegal substances that might help improve the spin rate of the ball and make it harder for batters to hit.

Spin rates and illegal, sticky substances were a major concern in Major League Baseball in the opening months of the 2021 season but haven’t been much of a deal since the league instituted checks for every pitcher at least once per game (starting pitchers may be subjected to multiple checks). Musgrove had already been checked at least once during game three of the series by umpires prior to Showalter’s accusation of cheating – which is exactly what the stunt amounts to even if the Mets manager was merely trying to get into the pitcher’s head in hopes it would lead to struggles on the mound.

The umpires, led by crew chief Alfonso Marquez, approached Musgrove on the mound and checked his palm, his cap, and his glove and even ran their fingers around the inside and outside the lobes of his ears

ESPN broadcaster Eduardo Perez called Showalter’s stunt “gamesmanship,” but let’s face it was actually unsportsmanlike. The players should be deciding games, especially the most important ones on the field, not by senior citizens coming onto the field in their warmups trying to get in the heads of the opponent by accusing them of cheating.

What Showalter did would’ve been more of a fair thing prior to the league instituting these checks last season. Also, he could’ve approached the umpires about it during the inning break, but for some reason – maybe for dramatic effect or maybe because he wanted to be in the spotlight – he waited until the bottom half of the inning was about to get underway.

There needs to be some sort of repercussion for a manager pulling such a stunt, especially on such an important stage. If Musgrove had been found to have had or been covered in an illegal substance he would’ve been immediately ejected from the ballgame (he would’ve also been given a suspension). Since he was found to be clean I believe Showalter should’ve been ejected from the ballgame.

To Musgrove and the Padres’ credit, the stunt didn’t work. Musgrove seemed more determined than ever over his final two innings and even gave a mocking gesture of rubbing a finger under his nostrils following a strikeout in the sixth inning.

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