4:37pm: Benoit is in the Jays’ clubhouse, tweets Nicholson-Smith, and says that he’s been told he could be ready to return in two to three weeks. He’s currently wearing a walking boot and using crutches.
3:35pm: Blue Jays right-hander Joaquin Benoit, who left the park on crutches last night, has been diagnosed with a torn calf muscle, manager John Gibbons told reporters, including Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (Twitter links). Benoit suffered the injury while running in from the bullpen on the heels of a benches-clearing brawl. Worsening matters for the Blue Jays is the fact that Gibbons also said that second baseman Devon Travis got his shoulder “tangled up in the brawl” and subsequently aggravated it on a swing. He’s now day to day with said injury.
For the Blue Jays, the loss is significant, especially when considering the nature in which Benoit’s injury occurred. Since coming over from the Mariners in exchange for Drew Storen, Benoit has pitched to a brilliant 0.38 ERA with 9.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB.9 in 23 2/3 innings of work. While injuries are a natural part of the game, incurring one in the midst of what was a senseless and entirely avoidable brawl last night is undoubtedly frustrating for both the team and fans alike.
Looking to the future, the injury is clearly disheartening for Benoit, who will presumably be unable to participate in the postseason and will also enter the free agent market on the heels of an injury. While the calf tear probably won’t impact his stock in the same manner that an arm injury at the age of 39 would, it nonetheless deprives him of the opportunity to further distance himself from what was a dreadful first three months of the season while pitching with the Mariners. Benoit struggled to a 5.18 ERA with Seattle due largely to poor control and a susceptibility to home runs, but he righted both of those trends to a large extent while pitching with the Jays and had done quite a bit of work to rebuild some of his free agent stock.
This sucks. Bring him back next spring. He’s been awesome.
Awesome? Awesome should be saved for guys like Britton. He has been good.
His ERA is better and his K/9 is only slightly lower, not to mention his ERA+ is an otherworldly four digits….how has he not been awesome compared to Britton?
I know I like it when he faces David Ortiz!!!
You’re forgetting that he played for Seattle this year and stunk up the joint, but you can re-write history if you’d like.
Agreed he’s made one bad pitch since coming to Toronto. He’s been beyond awesome, were probably not in the wild card spot without him
I guess throwing at Headley looks extra dumb on Happ’s part. Severino was wild and barely nicked Donaldson’s elbow. Sanchez even caught the ball for God’s sake! Now two of their players are hurt for a ridiculous reason.
Even the Jays GM basically called out the intentional throw at headley and ensuing brawls as stupid. Makes Gibbons look stupid for not controlling his players
That makes gibbons look stupid? You must be getting girardi mixed up with him
Gibbons lost 2 players to injury not Girardi. No getting mixed up there.
So why is it Gibbons fault the ump Mishandled the situation?
Why would it be Girardi’s fault?
Severino actually charged Smoak. Never seen a pitcher charge the batter before…
So he didn’t injure it during the pushing, it was the short sprint from the bullpen? Ouch.
The umpire was the one that caused this whole incident, he should be fined and suspended for this. The Jays need a new manager to keep their team in place. This was all their fault, Happ started the whole thing hitting Headley. Losing Benoit was a big loss. which will cost them in the playoffs, if they get there.
What should the umpiring crew have done differently?
He had two opportunities to end this. He should have issued a warning to Happ after the first pitch he directed at Headley. Given the importance of the game, Happ wouldn’t have risked. getting tossed and would have been satisfied that a message had been sent. Failing that, he should have ejected Severino after he first threw at Smoak. He actually raised his right arm as if to signal an ejection, stepped forward and then, inexplicably, gave Severino a second chance to throw at Smoak. Either of these two actions would have ended this before it got serious.
The ump caused it? Are u that guy who blames the teacher when your brat kid acts up in class?
The problem is teams like the Jays, Bosox,and O’s have brat power hitters who throw a tantrum every time a strike call goes against them. Grow a pair, and get over yourself. Thank goodness many of us still have NL baseball. Players are increasingly bean counters, worried about their stats and earning potential…this is supposed to be a humble, kid’s game.
It most certainly was the umps fault. He should’ve ejected happ after he hit headley, and should’ve ejected severino right after he missed smoak. It’s not the jays fault they get buzzed by every team they play, they don’t want to take that crap every series, especially a team out of the playoffs like the Yankees
Legit I agree about blaming the umpire being bs but to say that u would prefer the nl I think is a little wrong when 1/3 of the league have been bottom dwellers the whole year style is one thing but I’ll take the whiny little brats that can actually produce
What did the umpire do or not do?
He should of immediately thrown out JA Happ. Severino had no control in the first inning and obviously did not intentionally throw at Donaldson.
Not sure it was that obvious that Severino wasn’t intentionally throwing at Donaldson. Sanchez looked up at him twice before the pitch and then signaled for an extreme inside pitch. Plus the Yankees had thrown 7 pitches at his head in the last 5 games. I don’t necessarily agree that he should have tossed Happ – but he definitely should have issued the warning after the first pitch Happ threw at Headley (and missed). And he should have also tossed Severino once the warning had been issued when he tried to hit Smoak on the first pitch – rather than giving him two chances. Especially, since Severino was already at his pitch limit – so everyone should have known what he was planning to do.
He had no control in that first inning. Why would he intentionally want to hit Donaldson with encarncion and Bautista to follow. Plus he then went on to walk two more batters after that.
Well, the Yankees’ season is over, so winning the game isn’t all that important for them.
That Benoit injury cost them the game, Grilli was awful and Severino would have given up many more runs. I still don’t get the retaliation. Severino had no command. Maybe it was due to Bautistas HBP on Friday. In any event, if you want to retaliate, make sure the game is well in hand first.
Frankly, MLB should rule automatic ejections from any player leaving the dugout and bullpen, and suspensions /fine to boot. These guys just dance anyways, they look ridiculous. Once in a rare moon a player throws a punch,it might be once in a decade that a decent one lands
Agree just a bunch of rosters trying to out crow one another is what it looks like, it’s nonsense and it delays the game… And with the death of jose Fernandez they all should be thinking how lucky they are to be alive and playing the game they love so much than participating in something that certainly takes the fun and honor out of the game… I’ve never liked John gibbons, and last night proved it even more so that he’s just a hot head that manages a bunch of hotheads and that’s not a great mix… Sean Rodriguez still has them all best… He literally is crazy
Benoit was unavailable for the game(as was Osuna). Regardless, the incident was dumb from both sides and the umps didn’t do anything to prevent it.
Think how many injuries
Truth is at 39, he should have been walking into that brawl.
He hurt himself. He could have done it jogging in from the bullpen to pitch.