OAKLAND, Calif. -- Toronto Blue Jays starter Matt Shoemaker had to be helped off the field after suffering a left knee sprain during a rundown in the third inning Saturday against the Oakland Athletics.
He will undergo an MRI on Sunday, the team said.
Few in the Blue Jays' clubhouse were in the mood to celebrate following their 10-1 win to continue a successful road trip.
"I just found out when the game was over,'' manager Charlie Montoyo said. "We're going to find out tomorrow from the MRI how bad it is.''
Shoemaker, sidelined in recent years by a series of injuries, was hurt while chasing Oakland's Matt Chapman. The 32-year-old starter applied the tag and spun around to avoid contact.
As he twirled, Shoemaker appeared to injure his knee.
Shoemaker hopped around before falling to the ground as a team trainer rushed out. He was down for several moments and sat with his head in his hands before being helped to his feet and off the field.
"You never want to see the pitcher involved, but it happened,'' Montoyo said. "There's nothing we can do about it right now. He's a gamer. He got in there because he wanted to get the out.''
Limited to seven starts last year with the Angels because a strained right forearm, Shoemaker entered Saturday 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA for his new team. In 2016, Shoemaker sustained a skull fracture when he was hit in the head by a line drive, and he has had lingering forearm trouble for a while.
"He's been great,'' said Toronto's Sam Gaviglio, who got the win in relief of Shoemaker. "Every time he's taken the mound, he's going deep in games. Every outing has been strong for him, even today until the incident occurred. Hopefully, he'll be back.''
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
