The first thing you notice from a conversation with Shane Bieber is in his demeanour: Polite, professional and driven to take care of of business.
The first impression of watching him work on a big league mound: Potential Toronto Blue Jays ace.
Yes, it’s still August and, yes, he’s about to make just his second start since recovering from Tommy John surgery, but there’s no muting the hype machine for the growing Bieber Fever crowd in advance of the veteran righty making his home debut on Friday at the Rogers Centre.
“Its something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” Bieber said in the Blue Jays clubhouse earlier this week. “Essentially from the minute I got traded over here. But I’m not going to make it bigger than it needs to be. Ultimately its a major league start against a really good major league team.”
Which, of course, is Bieber’s understated way of acknowledging what has the makings of a special Friday night at the Rogers Centre.
It’s quite a confluence of potential frenzy for a Blue Jays fan base not only riding a wild week of action, but enthused to show the love to a big trade-deadline acquisition who heightens the dream of a magical couple months ahead.
And you get the feeling it starts for real on Friday, when the team with best record in the American League is facing the team with the best record in the National League. Throw in the fact that ace Freddie Peralta — he of the 15-5 record and 2.68 ERA — will take the mound for the 83-51 Brewers and the Bieber home debut sets up a moment that is undeniably a big one.
The competitor in Bieber surely loves the task and challenge that awaits, but in acknowledging it, he believe that to be at his best, he’ll need to keep the emotions in check.
“I’m happy to be back,” Bieber said. “Not thinking too much about it. It’s been a long road, but I’ll let it all settle in after the post-season.”
That said, all involved with the Jays are certainly enthused at the possibilities of an elite arm continuing to flash the talent that could boost the trajectory of what awaits a month down he road.
“He’s another guy who has some hardware on his mantle and is just a professional,” Jays manager John Schneider said. “He’s ultra confident and ultra prepared. To do what he did — no walks and nine strikeouts in that first outing — that’s pretty indicative of what he can be, what he has been and the drive that he still has.
“I think he’s really fit in well with this group.”
It didn’t hurt that Bieber had some friendly faces from his Cleveland days in the Toronto clubhouse, such as Andres Gimenez, Ernie Clement and Myles Straw, who formed the unofficial welcome wagon.
“He’s already in there talking smack to the guys and fitting in well,” said Straw, a outfielder previously with the Guardians who is well aware of everything Bieber brings. “That’s what we need. We need a nice, loose clubhouse, not somebody coming in and messing that up and Shane is a great dude that fits right in.”
And then there’s the stuff. Straw saw Bieber at his best in Cleveland and is seeing a reprise with the Jays.
“Paints the corners, that’s what he does,” Straw said. “He lives down and away, throws a slider off of it. He knows how to pitch and I feel like his stuff honestly is even getting better.
“You saw what he did his first start. I’ve seen him do that for a long time now, and I think it’s going to be a big pickup. Happy for him. Happy for us.”
That feeling only figures to accelerate the closer the Jays get to the post-season and the opportunity for the high-risk deadline deal to graduate to high reward arrives. The prospect of Bieber and Max Scherzer teaming with the veteran arms already in the Jays rotation is a tantalizing one to be sure.
“I’m happy with how everything’s been going,” Bieber said. “I feel like I fit in really well and that’s a testament to the guys around here, not me. They’ve made my acclimation super seamless. It’s been awesome. It’s been a fun clubhouse to integrate into.”
And that fun? If all goes well, it’s only just beginning.