The New York Mets' season is over. It ended in the most embarrassing fashion possible after a 101-win season: getting thumped at home in the Wild Card round. Joe Musgrove and the San Diego Padres defeated the Mets after they blew the chance to win the NL East. Buck Showalter's attempt to slow San Diego down by having Musgrove checked for illegal substances backfired and the Mets lost 6-0.

After the Mets' season ended in embarrassment, Showalter defended the decision to have the umpires check Musgrove's face. He cited the spin rates and other information that he had at his disposal as reasons for the decision to send the check to the Padres hurler, which netted nothing.

“I'm charged with doing what's best for the New York Mets,” Buck Showalter said. “If it makes me look however it makes me look or whatever, I'm going to do it every time and live with the consequences.”

Musgrove was not deemed to be using illegal substances and wrapped up a great performance in seven innings of work. Showalter's decision to single out Musgrove looks even worse considering that the Mets had multiple pitchers (David Peterson and Seth Lugo) who increased their spin rate by a sizable margin compared to their season average, per Baseball Savant.

The Mets' offense got shut out in the decisive game of the series due to Joe Musgrove's dominance. A season that finally looked to have some promise ended with a painful loss. Now, an offseason of uncertainty awaits them as key players like Jacob deGrom, Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo are all free agents.