Inside the mentality that has enabled Australia native Brandan Bidois to swim with the sharks

Brandan Bidois thrives on pitching with energy. He describes entering a game as “turning the beast on” and “unlocking that inner demon.” Inside his hat, Bidois scribbles some things about his family and unique birthplace, but there are also what he called “some select words of the not-so-friendly variety.”

But as intense as the Pirates reliever might be — and he is — it was actually his older brother Nicholas’ intensity that got Brandan started in baseball when the Bidois brothers were growing up in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Their mother, Sharon, said Nicholas “was a spaz around the house and couldn’t sit still.” So, she made him play baseball over the summer to burn off energy. Starting at around age 3, Brandan would attend his brother’s tournaments.

“I grew up around it and fell in love,” Brandan said. “The rest is history.”

More history was made May 13, when Bidois made his MLB debut. In the process, he became the 40th Aussie to pitch in the Major Leagues, the first for the Pirates.

It was the culmination of an incredible journey, one driven by a thirst for knowledge early on as a professional and now an incredibly intense mindset that Bidois believes separates him.

There’s also a family component and how the Bidois boys have remained connected.

Nicholas signed with the Blue Jays in 2009 and spent a few years in their Minor League system. He was released in 2011 and actually now works in Thailand, communicating with Brandan daily and living big league life vicariously through his brother.

“We talk a lot,” Brandan said. “He’s always excited and was pumped about me making it to the big leagues. I’m sure he’ll be over here at some point seeing some games.”

The younger Bidois signed with the Pirates as an international free agent on Sept. 21, 2019. It actually came roughly six months after he gave up hitting, which is another odd wrinkle in Bidois story.

As a kid, Bidois would watch a lot of MLB games, despite the time difference.

One of his favorite players was Manny Ramirez. In fact, when he was around 5 or 6, Brandan — who does not have a middle name — tried to convince his mom that his legal name should be “Brandan Ramirez Bidois.”

“It didn’t work out,” Brandan said, laughing. “Oh well. But I’ve always loved the game.”

Around 13 or 14, Bidois began thinking this might be something he could do for a living if he applied himself. But he didn’t exactly channel his inner Manny Ramirez (or Pedro Martinez) while playing for the Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League in 2018.

Bidois, then 17, went one for 10 as a hitter. He logged some time in the infield, but Bidois didn’t officially pitch in the AUBL until 2020, when he allowed six earned runs in 10 innings.

After six innings in the Florida Complex League the following year, Bidois’ love of baseball was tested, as he underwent Tommy John surgery.

Oddly enough, it was during that downtime that Bidois’ intensity began to take root.

With no other way to pass the time, Bidois poured himself into the numbers side of his professional, learning pitch shapes, how his body moves, the most nuanced information he could possibly obtain.

“I took a huge interest in it,” Bidois said. “I was learning the process. I became a baseball nerd.”

What Bidois learned really resonated with him.

What pitchers do can be so complicated, yet so simple at the same time. There’s physics involved, constant manipulations and adjustments. But at its core, pitching involves throwing hard and accurately and doing that over and over again.

Over time, Bidois has learned to take information … yet also still lean on feel.

“There’s a fine line between doing too much and doing too little,” Bidois said. “I think you can get wrapped up in a little too much. It makes things too complex. When you’re out on the mound, it’s like, ‘How simple can we do this?’ ”

Bidois also learned it took a different mentality to truly compete at the highest level.

When Bidois returned from Tommy John surgery, he began cultivating that uber-aggressive mindset in Bradenton and Greensboro from 2023-24, then exploding full force last season.

Harnessing the ability to “flip a switch” when he took the mound, Bidois enjoyed a dominant 2025, where he pitched for all four affiliates and went 8-0 with a 0.74 ERA, striking out 69 over 61 innings (40 appearances), at one point retiring 69 straight hitters.

Opponents had a .110 batting average against Bidois, who compiled a 0.80 WHIP.

It’s why the Pirates added Bidois to the 40-man roster this winter and why they promoted him earlier this month, that willingness to challenge hitters with impressive stuff.

“Bidois is a special story,” pitching coach Bill Murphy said. “The journey he’s had to get to the Major League level has been really cool to watch and learn about.

“We have a lot of confidence in Brandan in multiple situations because of the stuff. You watch him on the mound, he’s pretty poised. That’s something that’s hard to find.”

That mental side has evolved over time. Starting with the 3-year-old running around at his brother’s games to the pitching nerd who absorbed nuance to the guy who writes bad words in his hat and takes the mound with a different demeanor.

Apparently it’s what some have to do to make it in Major League Baseball while traveling all the way from Australia.

“I work best in an aggressive state,” Bidois said. “Earlier this season, I kinda lacked that ability to turn the beast on. I was rolling through the motions a little bit. But getting up here with all the adrenaline, it kind of brings it out of you.”

Bidois had a 7.20 ERA in 15 outings at Triple-A. He’s pitched to 2.57 ERA through six appearances with the Pirates, the biggest reason being the mindset he’s worked hard to cultivate.

“The half-inning after I hear my name called, the heart starts pumping and the tingles start coming. I start unlocking that inner demon,” Bidois said. “Because once you’re out on the mound, you’re kind of thrown into the deep end with the sharks. You either sinker or swim.”

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.