In Shane Bieber's first impression with the Toronto Blue Jays, he excelled in the 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night as the pitcher made his return from Tommy John surgery done in April of 2024. While it was a heartfelt return for the Blue Jays star, he spoke after the outing about what led to the success and what it means to be back.
As many speculate about how any pitcher would return from a Tommy John injury, Bieber has shattered expectations thus far, pitching six innings, striking out nine, while allowing only one run, two hits, and earning his first win of the season. It was his first game with the Blue Jays after they traded AA pitcher Khal Stephen for Bieber just before the July 31 MLB Trade Deadline.
“I was able to fall into a nice little rhythm pretty early tonight, and that’s a big part of pitching, especially for me,” Bieber said, according to MLB.com. “It felt very familiar. I was happy with how everything felt. It didn’t feel foreign whatsoever.”
Bieber resembled his elite self or 2020 form, when he won the AL Cy Young Award with the Cleveland Guardians, a quality noted by manager John Schneider.
“Usually coming back from that injury, command is kind of the last thing,” Schneider said. “For one, I’m happy for Shane. It’s a long road to get back here. And to go out and pitch the way he did … efficient, great tempo. [His] changeup was ridiculous, slider was great, spotted his fastball. Everything you look for in a guy that’s won a Cy Young, and he made it look way easier than it is for most people coming off that surgery.”
Blue Jays' Shane Bieber on the ‘long road' of recovery
As the Blue Jays are dealing with other injuries like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., it was still a good sign to see Bieber back in full action after last being on the mound over 500 days ago.
“I just said, ‘Five hundred and whatever days it was in between, you should sit back and enjoy this. Congratulations,’” Schneider said. “You hate getting emotional on the field or in the dugout. But you could feel he felt the relief of getting back out there. … When you’re looking at a really good starting pitcher get back to doing what he’s great at, that’s the highlight of your day.”
Besides the baseball aspect, Bieber is celebrating the end of what was a “long road,” as he put it, and credited the support system around him that was present before and after the game.
“I’m very happy with how tonight went,” Bieber said. “It’s been a long road. I’m happy to continue to build off how I was 16 months ago. I feel like I’m continuing to get better. A lot of positive signs. It’s just a matter of continuing to put one foot in front of the other and building.”
Bieber will look to close out the season strong as Toronto is 75-54, which puts them first in the AL East as they continue to face Miami on Saturday and Sunday.
