TORONTO — That's why the Blue Jays brought Shane Bieber to Toronto.
Bieber will get the start in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners on Monday in the biggest game in Blue Jays history since they won the World Series in 1993. The Cleveland Guardians traded Bieber to Toronto ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline.
“Getting to this point was the culmination of a lot of events and dominos,” Bieber said, noting that Cleveland also reached Game 7 of last year's ALCS, but he was unable to play while recovering from Tommy John surgery. “But tomorrow I will get the ball and I’m very happy about it.
“This is what I love to do and I’m grateful for every opportunity.”
The Guardians shut down Bieber after two starts in 2024 when they announced he needed surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. On July 31 of this year, he was traded to Toronto for prospect Hal Stephen before he had fully recovered from surgery.
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On August 22, the Blue Jays activated him from the injured list, striking out nine hits and earning the win as Toronto beat the Miami Marlins 5–2. Since then, the two-time All-Star and 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner has appeared in some of the Blue Jays' biggest games of the year.
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“I don’t know how many starts I’m at right now, but that’s how I feel at every start, right?” Bieber joked after Toronto beat the Mariners 6-2 on Sunday to force a deciding Game 7.
In fact, Bieber made seven starts for Toronto during the regular season, finishing with a 4–2 record, a 3.57 earned run average and 37 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings.
He had a shortened appearance against the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS on October 7, allowing three runs—two earned—in 2 2/3 innings as the Blue Jays lost 9–6.
Bieber bounced back with a commanding performance in Game 3 of the ALCS, striking out eight runs in six innings. He allowed two runs on four hits and a walk as the Blue Jays earned a decisive 13-4 victory in Seattle.
He said he learned to be himself from the very beginning.
“I feel like I have a lot of ways to attack guys and get them out,” Bieber said. “As long as I go out there and perform, I think I will put the team in a good position.”
Toronto manager John Schneider said Bieber is the ideal pitcher for tough situations like do-or-die games to reach the World Series.
“I think when you get into a situation like this, it's a historic game for the franchise, right? “You need a guy who has already been there,” Schneider said. “You want a guy who has a super-high sense of awareness in the moment. That's why we traded for him.”
“I've said this before, it was kind of a quiet acquisition, I don't want to say a quiet acquisition on deadline because he was injured, but that's what we envisioned.”
George Kirby will take the mound for the Mariners, who are trying to reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Seattle entered the league in 1977 with the Blue Jays, but Toronto has won the MLB Championship twice.
“I like to pitch under pressure and I'm really excited to get a Game 7,” said Kirby, who pitched against Bieber in Game 3 and allowed eight runs in four innings in the loss.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
