Jays' Bieber stellar in 1st start since April '24

MIAMI -- Shane Bieber struck out nine over six dominant innings of one-run ball in his debut with the Toronto Blue Jays and first appearance in 16 months Friday night.

The right-hander allowed two hits and hit a batter in his 87-pitch outing against the Miami Marlins, leaving with the Blue Jays ahead 5-1 in an eventual 5-2 win. He retired 12 straight after allowing Javier Sanoja's solo homer in the second inning.

It was Bieber's first major league appearance since April 2, 2024, when he experienced elbow discomfort and subsequently underwent Tommy John surgery.

The Blue Jays acquired the 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner from the Cleveland Guardians on July 31. Bieber had done four rehab outings with the Guardians before the trade.

Bieber, 30, spent his first seven seasons with Cleveland. In the 60-game 2020 season, Bieber finished 8-1 with a league-low 1.63 ERA and led the AL in strikeouts with 122.