Bieber's time to shine has arrived, earns him ALDS Game 3 starting nod

NEW YORK -- The Blue Jays’ dream when they acquired Shane Bieber from the Guardians at the Trade Deadline? Well, you’re looking at it.

Bieber can put the Yankees to bed on Tuesday night in their own house, the Blue Jays’ Game 3 starter in a potential ALDS clincher at Yankee Stadium after two dominant eye-opening wins.

This is why the Blue Jays took such a big swing on July 31, trading pitching prospect Khal Stephen -- ranked No. 5 in their system and in the middle of a breakout season -- for a pitcher who was still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Bieber isn’t just any pitcher, though.

“The guy has been elite and performed really well on really big stages,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said soon after the trade. “He has been the best pitcher in the game at certain points. That was important to us, raising our potential and raising our bar.”

That’s what made the addition of Bieber so exciting for the Blue Jays, an organization that had built a rock-solid floor but still needed true upside. The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner is capable of true dominance, but that’s the part we already know. What the Blue Jays are betting on, just as much as Bieber’s talent, is his ability to handle Yankee Stadium and its “hostile environment,” as John Schneider put it. That, as much as anything else, is why Trey Yesavage was named the Game 2 starter, with Bieber in Game 3.

Nothing can prepare you for The Bronx in the postseason, where mocking chants rain down on opposing pitchers. It can either crush you or fuel you.

“I’m anticipating a ton of energy, both positive and negative,” Bieber said. “For me, thankfully I've done it before. But really for me, I put myself in the best position to succeed when I just embrace it. I've tried to learn how to do that, and it's just an incredible opportunity. Like how many people get to say that they've done that?”

Thankfully for Bieber, he’s already survived Yankee Stadium in October. In Game 2 of the 2022 ALDS between the Guardians and Yankees, Bieber struck out seven over 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball to even the series. It’s been a while, but with a 3.57 ERA in 40 1/3 innings down the stretch after returning to the big leagues, Bieber is reminding a lot of people of the old days.

“He looks like Bieber to me,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “I know it was obviously a long road back for him. Good pickup by the Blue Jays being able to get him and being able to insert him into their rotation. He'll be a challenge for us.”

How Bieber talks about the challenge is fascinating. He approaches it with a sense of wonder and an appreciation for the moment, a strange sense of calm in his voice. Whatever it takes for Bieber to make this “normal,” the Blue Jays just need it to work.

Kevin Gausman delivered the most important performance of his Blue Jays career in Game 1, then Yesavage turned in an all-time debut in Game 2. The bar is high, and even though Bieber has been forced to adjust his routine to pitch for the first time since Sept. 26, this long, challenging season rehabbing from surgery might actually come in handy.

“A small silver lining about Tommy John is my body doesn't know what's going on,” Bieber said, “so I was able to throw a couple of bullpens. I feel great. I feel ready to go. Since I made my comeback to the Major Leagues, I've been on five days, six days, seven days, and I think that's kind of been a small advantage to be able to go about my starts on different rest.”

We’re finally seeing years worth of moves coming together the way the Blue Jays’ front office envisioned. While criticisms over the years have been warranted, that group deserves praise now for building what looks like the best roster in the American League.

“Excellent job from our front office acquiring players with a lot of experience already in the big leagues and players that have been helping us a lot,” said Vladimir Guerrero Jr. “A great job from the front office.”

Bieber was their big risk, though. Even with Bieber’s track record, this was the dice roll that great teams often need to put them over the top.

If Bieber walks off the mound a winner Tuesday night, sweeping the Yankees in The Bronx, that surprise deal on July 31 will immediately go down as one of the best this front office has ever made.