Ex-Toronto Blue Jays pitcher just won a U.S. election

The United States held their 2026 midterm elections on Tuesday, and a former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher came out victorious. 

It was another tense election night for our neighbours down south, as millions of Americans voted on the future of the U.S. House and Senate. Down the ballot, however, some lesser-known positions were up for grabs in parts of the country. 

Retired MLB player Matt Shoemaker had his eye on one of those positions, running and winning a seat on the Saline Area Schools Board of Education in Michigan. 

The 40-year-old Shoemaker ran for a four-year seat and narrowly won by just 28 votes. 

While Shoemaker technically won a seat, he didn't receive the most votes in the election. A total of three four-year seats were up for grabs, and the ex-MLB pitcher came third to win that final spot, edging out the fourth-place candidate

Carl Spina led all candidates with 8,528 votes, with Christy Lillie following closely behind with 8,169 votes. Shoemaker rounded out that trio with a total of 6,598 votes, which edged out Afifa Corrigan, who ended the night with 6,570. 

It was a tight race, and local news agency Sun Times News reports that Shoemaker's 28-vote margin is still subject to official canvass. 

It's a bit surprising to see an ex-pro athlete like Shoemaker run for public office. The Michigan native spent nine years in the big leagues, playing for the LA Angels, Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins between 2013 and 2021. 

Shoemaker was a substitute teacher before he made it to the big leagues, and it seems that passion for education returned after his MLB career came to an end. In an interview with The Saline Post before the election, he detailed his reasons for running in the election. 

"I have four young children in this school district. My wife and I want to make sure our children have a great place to grow up, as well as gaining a great education," Shoemaker said. "I'm running for School Board to support our teachers and staff, expand opportunities for our students, and help every kid succeed in school, on the field, and in life.

"I've learned great teams succeed when people are supported, everyone has a voice, and you work toward something bigger than yourself."

Shoemaker started in just 11 games with the Blue Jays between the 2019 and 2020 MLB seasons. He posted a 3-1 record and a 3.14 ERA in that span, before eventually leaving Toronto in February 2021 to sign with the Twins. He was out of the big leagues after the 2021 season and played just one more season in Japan before calling it a career.