Shane Bieber Set for First Regular Season Start vs. Seattle Since 2024
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The Toronto Blue Jays took care of business on the road against the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS series rematch on Friday. Dylan Cease was excellent, pitching in seven shutout innings, leading Toronto past Seattle. Now, the Blue Jays turn to Shane Bieber.
Bieber will be making his third start of the 2026 campaign after starting the season on the injured list. The former American League Cy Young Award winner hasn't performed as well as he would have liked to in his first two starts of the campaign, but history is on his side when pitching against Seattle.
Set to make his first regular season appearance against the Mariners since 2024 as a member of the Cleveland Guardians, Bieber has been a thorn in Seattle's side all of his career. The Mariners know what the recent version of Bieber is capable of, having taken them on twice in the playoffs last season.
Bieber's Regular Season Stats vs Mariners
Bieber made his first start against the Mariners back in 2019, and by season's end, he collected two starts with a 1.32 ERA and 13 strikeouts. In 2021, Seattle got the upper hand over the now Blue Jays starter, posting him with a 6.97 ERA in two starts, across 10.1 innings.
2022 and beyond is when Bieber started to figure out the Mariners' starting lineup. In three starts between 2022 and 2024, Bieber allowed one earned run across 19 innings, striking out 21 batters, collecting two nine-strikeout games.
Overall, Bieber holds a regular season ERA of 2.30 in 43 innings of work from 2019-2024, with 49 strikeouts to 10 walks. Toss in his postseason success against Seattle, and Bieber is one of the best options Toronto can send to the mound looking to grab a series win in just two games.
What Bieber Must Improve On
In his first two starts of 2026, Bieber has been hit hard. That's to be expected for a returning starter, trying to find his groove again in the big leagues. The first start he allowed three home runs, which is very unlike Bieber when he's at his best.
In his second start of the season, he went 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs, one coming on another home run. He also collected his 1,000th career strikeout in his last time out. Massive improvements were made for Bieber from start one to start two, lowering his ERA from a high nine to a 6.00 entering play, despite walking four batters.
Lowering his hard hit rate from his first few starts, having allowed 10 hard hit balls in play on several pitches in his last start, according to Baseball Savant, will be the goal for Bieber to continue his regular season success against the Mariners
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.