MIAMI — A few hours before first pitch Friday, Shane Bieber sat alone in the visiting dugout at loanDepot Park, eyes on the field where he’d soon make his first big-league start in more than 16 months. By the late evening, Bieber’s new teammates were shaking his hand and slapping him on the back as he made his way through that same dugout after his first six innings in a Toronto Blue Jays uniform.
In between: dominance. Bieber’s command was pinpoint Friday, and he used it to get ahead in the count consistently against the Marlins’ lineup. His stuff was great too, with a fastball that sat 92.7 m.p.h. and perfectly located change-ups that induced off-balance swing after off-balance swing from the Marlins, who managed just two hits against Bieber while striking out nine times.
Best of all for the Blue Jays, Bieber’s debut led to another win as they beat Miami 5-2 to improve to 75-54 on the season while getting an enticing glimpse at what their newest starter may be able to offer down the stretch and into the playoffs.
“All day, I just felt a lot of gratitude,” Bieber said, “for what’s been a long road for my family and my support system. It’s just awesome to share this moment with them.”
“It’s back to doing what I love to do,” he continued. “I fell right into rhythm and I was happy to hit the ground running.”
In the dugout once Bieber completed his outing, manager John Schneider embraced him, congratulated him and told him to enjoy the moment. Later, the manager was in great spirits thanks to his newest starter.
“I’ve got Bieber Fever,” Schneider quipped. “I’m a Belieber.”
While Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s hamstring hadn’t progressed quite enough for him to return to the starting lineup, he ran on the field pre-game and took batting practice — positive signs considering how much Guerrero Jr. means to the team’s offence.
“It’s going to be soon, but we’ve got take it day by day,” he told Sportsnet.
With Guerrero Jr. still on the sidelines, the focus Friday was on Bieber, acquired at the trade deadline from the Guardians for pitching prospect Khal Stephen, a promising right-hander who’s now on the double-A injured list. At the time, Bieber was still rehabbing, and with that came some uncertainty, but after three starts with triple-A Buffalo, he was ready for the next challenge.
Still, it’s one thing to be physically ready for the major-leagues. Alongside the physical preparation there’s also the mental challenge of performing at the highest level alongside a completely new team. Going into the start, Schneider stressed the significance of that task, but once the game began, Bieber was in full control.
“It felt very familiar,” he said. “That’s what I love to do is go out, compete and pitch.”
“For me, falling into a rhythm is a big part of pitching,” Bieber continued. “I was able to do that pretty early with my fastball, then the second time through the order the spin picked up and (catcher Alejandro Kirk) and I fell in sync, which is great.”
On the other side of the field, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough described how hard it is for many pitchers to rediscover their command after reconstructive elbow surgery. Having welcomed right-handers Eury Perez and Sandy Alcantara back from similar operations this year, the Marlins know better than most that it can take time to control the baseball as both pitchers have had periods of inconsistency.
Yet somehow Bieber was at his best Friday, commanding the ball with precision and throwing few if any non-competitive pitches.
“I’m done with my rehab,” Bieber said. “I’m here to compete”
At some point, there may well be adjustments for Bieber to make, or starts where his command lapses. That’s to be expected from every pitcher, especially those coming back from major surgery.
But on Friday, there were no such concerns in sight. This was simply a Cy Young Award winner pitching like a Cy Young Award winner — an accomplishment worth celebrating after more than a year of hard work.
“I’m happy for Shane,” Schneider said. “It’s a long road to get back here and to go out and pitch the way he did — no walks, nine strikeouts, a couple hits, efficient, great tempo, change-up was ridiculous, slider was great, spotted his fastball. It’s everything you look for from a guy who’s won a Cy Young, and he made it look way easier than it is for most people.”
“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,” the manager added.
Of course once this milestone has been celebrated, it’ll be impossible not to look ahead a little. With the playoffs approaching and Bieber looking like a frontline arm again the question becomes how much performances like this could improve the Blue Jays’ chances in October.
“I joined this team at its peak,” Bieber said, “And we continue to climb higher.”