After Shane Bieber had a stellar debut for the Toronto Blue Jays in his return from Tommy John surgery in April of last year, the performance garnered the attention of manager John Schneider. While the Blue Jays got to see their first impression of Bieber, there's no denying how effective he was in the 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night.
Bieber went six innings and, in 87 pitches, struck out nine batters while only allowing one earned run, two hits, and walking not a single player. Being excited after the game, Schneider shared his emotions after the outing, citing that he has “Bieber Fever,” not only in reference to the pitcher but the craze around pop star Justin Bieber in the early 2010s.
“I’ve got Bieber Fever,” Bieber said, according to MLB.com. “I’m a believer.”
Toronto fans most likely agree with Schneider as Bieber looked true to form, almost akin to how he performed in 2020 when he won the AL Cy Young award with the Cleveland Guardians. Schneider echoed the same sentiments after the win in Miami.
“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.”
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Blue Jays' John Schneider on what he told Shane Bieber after debut
As it was a heartfelt return for the Blue Jays star, it had been over 500 days since Bieber was last on the mound, and while most people speculate negatively about how Tommy John surgery will impact a player, he shattered expectations. Schneider gave insight into what he told Bieber after the performance and the emotions in the ballclub.
“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.”
Bieber is the only Toronto pitcher in history to debut with at least nine strikeouts and also record zero walks, adding to how exceptional the outing was.
Bieber looks to help the Blue Jays down the stretch tremendously as they're first in the AL East with a 75-54 record before Saturday and Sunday's games against Miami.
