TORONTO — To fully appreciate what Shane Bieber is doing 17 months after Tommy John surgery, consider the plight of Luis Garcia, the starter opposite him Tuesday night. The Houston Astros righty needed 28 months to recover from his elbow reconstruction in May 2023 and on the 27th pitch of his second outing since coming back, he threw an 88 m.p.h. ball to Ernie Clement, signalled that something was wrong and quickly exited the field. The club said he left due to elbow discomfort, underlining how delicate these returns can be.
That's why, when a couple of days before his fourth big-league start post-surgery, Bieber said that he's "really happy with how everything's going," and that "I'm bouncing back really well," it bodes well for the 30-year-old, since such returns to play aren't always linear. And with the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander "in my own kind of spring training while in the big leagues right now, albeit with a new elbow," his outings, including the 5.2 innings of three-run ball Tuesday, should to some degree be viewed through that prism.
More often than not such a performance should be good enough for a Blue Jays win and in dramatic fashion, it was this time, as Isiah Kiner-Falefa tied the game with a two-run single in the ninth, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made a bold throw across the infield for a crucial out in the top of the 10th before Tyler Heineman’s fielder’s choice won it 4-3 in the bottom half.
The comeback victory before a crowd of 40,252 came hours after star shortstop Bo Bichette was placed on the injured list with a left knee sprain suffered sliding into New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells on Saturday, and after a quiet start for the offence.
By the time all was said and done, the Blue Jays’ eighth walk-off win, combined with the Detroit Tigers’ 12-2 thumping of the Yankees, pushed their lead atop the AL East back to three games.
“I need a beer,” quipped manager John Schneider. “It was kind of everyone doing exactly what we are asking for and then Heinie making contact. Weird day. Long day. Ended really well.”
Between the news on Bichette — there’s no timeline for his return and he’ll be off his feet this week — Carlos Correa’s two-run homer in the first and some strong Houston pitching, it didn’t start that way.
Garcia didn’t allow a hit while recording five outs and A.J. Blubaugh followed with 3.1 no-hit frames. George Springer greeted Enyel De Los Santos by opening the sixth with his 28th homer of the season, and after lefties Steven Okert and Bryan King combined to strand Addison Barger’s leadoff double in the seventh, the Blue Jays erased a 3-1 deficit in the ninth against Bryan Abreu.
Kiner-Falefa, back with the Blue Jays after being claimed on waivers from the Pirates on Aug. 31 in what’s turned out to be a prescient move, came up with the bases loaded and lined a single to left. With runners on second and third, Abreu rallied to strike out Springer before Myles Straw flew out to force extras.
“For me to come through in that spot, it was just surreal,” said Kiner-Falefa. “I kind of visualized it walking up to the plate, I'm like, I went to Pittsburgh for this hit right here. It all came full circle. I was just thankful for that opportunity first game back (in Toronto).”
Closer Jeff Hoffman’s zero in the top of the 10th was helped along by Guerrero fielding Victor Caratini’s chopper at first and making an 85.4 m.p.h. throw to get Jose Altuve at third for the inning’s first out.
"That play changed the whole outcome of the game," said Kiner-Falefa.
Guerrero’s infield single to start the bottom half put men on the corners and after Daulton Varsho struck out, Heineman’s grounder to first brought Straw home with the winning run.
"That was awesome," said Bieber.
With three more starts before the regular season ends, Bieber can play a big role in helping push the Blue Jays across the finish line, especially if he can keep making gains on his current form.
The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner said he’s trying "not to compare" where he’s at right now to where he’s been in the past, instead "focusing on how I feel right now."
“I feel like I'm close,” he continued. “How close? I'm not sure. But I'm encouraged with how it's all coming along and I'll continue to work towards getting better each and every day. So it's hard to say if I'm 75, 80, 90 per cent of the way there, but all things considered, I'm happy with where everything's at and planning to continue to get better.”
One area in which he said “there's definitely room for improvement” is with his location and command, “something that I've always prided myself on being able to do and what I expected to do.”
“That's part of the bullpen and rehab progression, things that I was working on since March,” he continued. “Locating my fastball as well as going through that progression of building volume. There's been a lot of work that's been put in since, really, the day I got surgery. So I'm happy with where things are at. I'm not really surprised, but definitely a lot of room to improve.”
