Former Blue Jays pitcher Matt Shoemaker scores narrow election win in Michigan

Former Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher won a seat on the Saline Area Schools Board of Education in Michigan by just 28 votes.

Published Nov 04, 2026  •  2 minute read

Matt Shoemaker of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during the Wild Card Round against the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020. Getty Images

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There was a so-called “blue wave” which swept across the United States during the mid-term elections, but one candidate may be more familiar to baseball fans in Toronto for a different shade of blue.

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Matt Shoemaker, a former pitcher for the Blue Jays, was victorious in his race in Michigan on Tuesday, capturing one of three four-year seats on the Saline Area Schools Board of Education.

Shoemaker, who hails from Trenton, Mich., was one of five candidates for the position and finished third in the running by a razor-thin margin.

According to the Sun Times News, Shoemaker narrowly edged out Afifa Corrigan by just 28 votes, with the margin still subject to the official canvass.

Carl Spina led the way with 8,528 votes, followed by Christy Lillie’s 8,169 while Shoemaker had 6,598 votes compared to Corrigan’s 6,570. Andrea Roe finished last with 5,786 votes.

In an interview with The Saline Post before the election, Shoemaker made his pitch about why he chose to get into politics after retiring from baseball.

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“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 told the outlet.

“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.”

How was Matt Shoemaker’s MLB career?

Shoemaker went to Trenton High School before attending Eastern Michigan University.

While he went undrafted out of EMU, he was still able to work his way up to the big leagues.

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After making his MLB breakthrough in 2013 with the Angels, he pitched for six seasons in Los Angeles before joining the Blue Jays in 2019 for two years. He pitched 16 games for the Minnesota Twins in 2021 before hanging up his cleats.

Shoemaker had a great showing for the Jays in 2019, going 3-0 in five stars with a sparkling 1.57 ERA. However, he couldn’t follow that up during the COVID-hit 2020 season, going 0-1 in six starts while posting an ERA of 4.71.

Over his career, Shoemaker had an overall record of 46-41 with a 4.24 ERA and 580 strikeouts in 662.2 innings.

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