Carpenter

CHICAGO -- Chris Carpenter looked as if he had a baseball stuffed in his right cheek Sunday.

The Toronto pitcher was hit in the face by a line drive off the bat of Chicago's Jose Valentin in the eighth inning of the Blue Jays' 6-3 loss Saturday night.

"I feel real lucky," Carpenter said Sunday. "An inch to the right, an inch to the left and I could've been in serious trouble."

He received 18 stitches inside his mouth. There was no fracture and no eye damage, a team spokesman said, although Carpenter will be examined again Monday. Blue Jays manager Jim Fregosi said Carpenter will be sidelined for 7-10 days.

"I just remember throwing the ball and I knew something hit me," Carpenter said.

The Blue Jays led 3-1 and Carpenter had allowed just three hits when he was hit. He lay motionless on the mound as Fregosi, pitching coach Dave Stewart and the team trainers rushed to his aid.

"Once I turned over, there was blood rushing out of my face, so I figured I'd hang tight," Carpenter said.

Carpenter said he never lost consciousness.

"Your first reaction is to just run out there," Toronto catcher Darrin Fletcher said. "It hit him square. You knew by the sound it hit him square in the face."

Carpenter sat up after a few minutes but was woozy. He was carried off on a stretcher as the crowd of 33,204 gave him a standing ovation. He held a towel to his face and there was blood on his face.

"As a pitcher, you're ready to field your position but (getting hit in the face) is the last thing in your mind," Fletcher said. "Guys hit the ball hard. That ball was hit right at him."

Valentin, who admitted he was scared seeing Carpenter lying on the mound, visited Carpenter in the X-ray room. Carpenter did acknowledge his visitor, Valentin said.

"You don't want that to happen to anybody," Valentin said. "Getting hit like that hurts and it's scary. I didn't try to do it. Thank God nothing was broke."

The accident occurred eight days after Boston pitcher Bryce Florie was hit in the face by a line drive, leaving him with serious damage to his right eye.