Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya carted off field after awkward fall at first in win over Blue Jays

Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya had to be carted off the field on Wednesday in Toronto after he went down in a brutal fall while trying to make it to first base.

Amaya hit a short ground ball in the eighth inning of Chicago’s 4-1 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre and took off toward first. He actually beat the throw to first and was called safe in the moment, but he appeared to trip over the bag and went flying into the dirt.

He immediately curled up into a ball and remained on the ground for quite some time, clearly in a lot of pain.

He was eventually carted off the field while holding a towel over his face, clearly emotional.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after the game that Amaya was diagnosed with a left ankle sprain, though X-rays were negative. He will return to the injured list. It’s unclear for how long.

Prior to his injury Wednesday, Amaya had just made it back to the field after a long stint on the injured list due to an oblique strain. He had been out since May 25 and was reinstated on Tuesday. He entered Wednesday’s game — his first game back — holding a .280 batting average with four home runs and 25 RBI this season. He had one hit in three at-bats Wednesday.

The Cubs held on to grab the three-run win after Amaya’s exit. Cubs rookie pitcher Cade Horton carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. That gave him 29 consecutive shutout innings, which is the longest such streak of the season. The Blue Jays spoiled Horton’s no-hit bid in the sixth and scored, too, which ended that run.

The win snapped a two-game losing skid for Chicago and marked just their third win in eight outings. The Cubs hold a 68-57 record and sit in second in the NL Central, trailing the Milwaukee Brewers — who won their 12th straight earlier Wednesday — by 7.5 games.

The Cubs and Blue Jays wrap their three-game series on Thursday in Toronto. The Cubs will then return home for a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates before a five-game set with the Brewers next week at Wrigley Field, where they can really make a dent in their NL Central deficit.