Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Joaquin Benoit suffered a leg injury attempting to join a bench-clearing brawl in Monday’s game against the New York Yankees.
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Reliever Injured in Melee
Tuesday, Sept. 27
According to ESPN.com, Benoit suffered a torn left calf when he tripped while running in from the bullpen.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the pitcher will miss at least the first round of the playoffs.
“It felt like something hit me,” Benoit said, according to ESPN.com. “I won’t be able to get on the mound anytime soon, so personally this is really disappointing.”
The incident occurred in the bottom of the second inning in Monday’s matchup, when Justin Smoak became the third player of the game hit by a pitch.
Toronto ended up losing the game 7-5, but the squad still remains in the first wild-card position as of Tuesday.
Before the injury, Benoit had been one of the hottest pitchers in baseball. Since coming over from the Seattle Mariners, the 39-year-old veteran has a 0.38 ERA, allowing just one earned run in 23.2 innings. He also has 10 holds and just one blown save in this stretch.
Roberto Osuna remains the team’s closer, but Jason Grilli and others will have to step up to solidify the bullpen in Benoit’s absence.
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