Blue Jays pitcher OK after being hit by catcher’s throw

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Blue Jays pitcher Drew Hutchison escaped injury Sunday when he was struck in the back of the head by catcher A.J. Jimenez’s throw to second base on an attempted stolen base during the fifth inning of a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Toronto right-hander high-fived teammates and remained on the bench for a while after being removed from the game. He later described the scary moment as just “one of those weird things that happened,” adding he would have argued to continue pitching if it had been a regular-season game.

Five different players drove in a run, while Hutchison allowed one run and one hit in four-plus innings for the Blue Jays, who scored three times in the eighth to pull away from a 3-3 tie.

David Carpenter pitched two scoreless innings for the Rays, leading a parade of candidates for the bullpen. Ryan Webb, Alex Colome, Danny Farquhar, Xavier Cedeno and Andrew Bellatti also pitched for Tampa Bay.