Shane Bieber made his Blue Jays debut worth the wait Friday night, striking out nine Marlins in six innings of what looked like vintage Cy Young-level pitching. Toronto’s deadline acquisition hadn’t pitched in the majors since April, but you wouldn’t have known it watching him carve up Miami in a 5-2 win.
The 30-year-old right-hander allowed just two hits and one run over 87 pitches, with the only blemish coming on a Javier Sanoja solo homer in the second inning. After that? Bieber looked like his old Cleveland self, retiring 12 straight batters before calling it a night.
It’s been a long road back for Bieber, who underwent Tommy John surgery last spring while still with the Guardians. The Blue Jays grabbed him at the July 31 deadline, essentially betting on his recovery to give them another front-line starter when they needed it most.
That bet’s looking pretty good right now.
For seven seasons in Cleveland, Bieber was one of those guys you could pencil in for 200 innings and 200 strikeouts. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2020 after going 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA in the shortened season, striking out 122 hitters in just 77⅓ innings. Those are video game numbers.
What stood out Friday wasn’t just the results – it was how he got them. Bieber’s fastball had life, his command was sharp, and he mixed in his breaking pitches to keep Marlins hitters guessing all night. The swing-and-miss stuff that made him elite? It’s still there.
The Blue Jays staked him to a 5-1 lead before he exited, and the bullpen took care of the rest. For a Toronto team that’s been looking for rotation help all season, this is exactly what they hoped they were getting when they made the trade.
Now the question becomes how much Bieber has left in the tank after missing most of the year. If Friday’s any indication, the Blue Jays might have found the missing piece they’ve been searching for.
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