While major change was taking place across the country on Tuesday as part of the US midterm elections, a former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher ran successfully in what proved to be one of the day's closest races.

Matt Shoemaker, who started 11 games for the Blue Jays across the 2019 and 2020 seasons, earned a seat on the Saline Area Schools Board of Education in Michigan. The board had five candidates vying for three available seats on four-year terms, with the retired nine-year veteran being elected to the third and final seat.

And boy, was it a close one for Shoemaker. The 40-year-old received 6,598 votes, well behind fellow candidates Carl Spina (8,528) and Christy Lillie (8,169), but ahead of Afifa Corrigan (6,570) and Andrea Roe (5,786). He edged out Corrigan for the third board seat by just 28 votes. The vote still reportedly remains subject to official canvass.

For Shoemaker, the election to the school board in Saline, a city of roughly 9,000 residents that is 10 miles southwest of Ann Arbor, is personal. He and wife Danielle have four children, all of whom are currently enrolled in the Saline School District.

Inside Shoemaker's Brief Tenure with the Blue Jays

Shoemaker was born in Wyandotte, Michigan and played college baseball at Eastern Michigan University, so the state has always been home for the right-hander. So while he never had the chance to play for his hometown Detroit Tigers, playing in Toronto was as close to home as he ever got during his big league career.

Signed as a free agent ahead of the 2019 season, Shoemaker got off to a tremendous start with the Blue Jays. He pitched seven scoreless, two-hit innings in each of his first two starts with the club and earned wins in each of his first three starts. However, his hot start would be derailed when he suffered a torn ACL in just his fifth start. His season ended prematurely with a 3-0 record and a 1.57 ERA.

Despite the injury, Toronto brought Shoemaker back for the 2020 season. He wasn't nearly as effective this time around, going 0-1 with a 4.71 ERA over just six starts for the club.

Shoemaker would struggle through one more MLB season with the Minnesota Twins in 2021 before joining the San Francisco Giants' minor league system and eventually landing in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. He is, perhaps, best known as a talented pitcher whose career was marred by ill-timed injuries.

Now, Shoemaker prepares for new life as an elected Saline Area school board member.