SEATTLE — Way back on July 31, the Blue Jays’ front office was dreaming of October.
A team doesn’t make a deal like Toronto did then, acquiring an injured Shane Bieber for its No. 5 prospect, Khal Stephen, without thinking of a deep postseason run, heavily weighing the risk and reward. On that day, the risk was that Bieber, a former Cy Young Award winner, wouldn’t return to that form following Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and that the price of a top pitching prospect would haunt the organization for years.
The reward was that Bieber absolutely would return to form and start big games as the Blue Jays hunt their first World Series title since 1993.
A night like Wednesday was the reward.
“I’ve said it a lot,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It’s why you acquire a guy like Shane.”
If the Blue Jays were thinking of October back in July, Bieber was looking back to a year ago on Wednesday. Last October, he had not picked up a ball in some time following the surgery in April 2024. Bieber was with his Guardians teammates during their run to the ALCS last year, but it’s not the same as being on the mound.
Wednesday felt pretty good, then.
“That’s what they brought me here to do,” Bieber said. “I remember this time last year, having not thrown the ball for a while. Just thinking, ‘I can’t wait to pitch in big games.’ Find myself here in the ALCS and was able to do that tonight. Happy with how things are playing out, but we’re still down 2-1, and there’s a lot left to do.”
When Bieber allowed a two-run home run to Julio Rodríguez in the bottom of the first inning, it felt like T-Mobile Park might collapse. The foundation of the ballpark shook. The decibel level rose. Seattle was rocking, a fan base starved for a deep October run fed by their star center fielder.
Bieber did not allow time for dessert.
After Jorge Polanco followed with a double, Bieber sat down 17 of the next 19 Mariners he faced. The two who reached base never left first. The righty ended his day with four hits allowed, one walk and eight strikeouts.
Bieber walked into the dugout after the first inning and told his teammates to pick him up because he knew he “had good stuff” Wednesday, he said. Then he struck out the side in a 12-pitch second inning, keeping Toronto down only two runs.
By the time he went out for the third inning, his teammates had listened, putting up a five-spot in the third.
“It’s something special, especially when it comes from the pitcher that comes in the dugout and says, ‘Guys, pick me up,’” Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said through interpreter Hector Lebron. “You feel the energy back in the dugout.”
As Bieber strolled off the field following the sixth inning, Mariners fans were left in stunned silence.
Bieber flashed the swing-and-miss stuff he didn’t have in New York last week, when he didn’t make it out of the third inning in Game 3 of the AL Division Series. On Wednesday, Bieber registered 17 whiffs on 45 swings (38%). The Mariners were baffled by his slider, with seven whiffs on 12 swings. Bieber took advantage, throwing that breaking ball at a higher rate (30%) than any of his seven starts in the regular season.
“Swing and miss is a big part of my game when I’m going right,” Bieber said. “There was an opportunity to kind of attack that tonight. Thankfully, after that first inning, I was able to find it.”
There was one more moment of reflection for Bieber on Wednesday. He not only thought about last October, but all the way back to April 2, 2024. He was in Seattle that day as he made his second start of the season for the Guardians, and he knew something wasn’t right with his elbow. Bieber twirled six scoreless innings that night but had full elbow reconstruction a few weeks later.
“The last time I warmed up here, I knew something was wrong with my elbow,” Bieber said. “I felt entirely different tonight.”
And the Blue Jays felt different, too. Their offense showed up. Bieber was excellent. Now they have some momentum for Game 4, and they’ll send Max Scherzer to the mound eyeing an even series and a guaranteed flight back to Toronto for at least Game 6.
Mad Max in a big game? The Blue Jays will take their chances.
“This is what you play for,” Scherzer said. “You want to have the ball in this situation, you want to be pitching in the postseason. Every game in the postseason’s a must-win, so when you step on the field in these situations, you got to bring it. You got to have your A game. You got to really be on top of your stuff.”
