Blue Jays manager John Schneider saves woman choking at lunch, given free beer by restaurant

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider sprung to action when he saw a woman choking on food while at a lunch with his wife near the team’s spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida.

Schneider and his wife, Jess, were at Clear Sky Draught Haus, which is a short drive from the team’s facility, when the woman began choking on a piece of shrimp. Schneider quickly assessed the situation, and when no one she was dining with began to help her, he stepped in. 

Schneider began performing the Heimlich maneuver and the woman stopped choking. 

“I learned it in about the sixth grade and hadn’t thought about it since,” Schneider said via MLB.com. “So, it was like, ‘I think I remember how to do this.’ I’m a bigger guy, so I think that helped a little bit. But no, I hadn’t thought about the Heimlich maneuver since grade 6.”

While he was thanked by the woman and her friends at lunch, they didn’t know who he was.

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That didn’t matter to Schneider, who was just happy things didn’t get worse. 

“It’s not like you’re looking for a pat on the back,” he said. “She said thank you and carried on with her meal with her friends. We kind of just said, ‘See you later.’ Again, I wasn’t looking for a big compliment.”

The restaurant thought Schneider deserved something for saving one of their patrons though.

The restaurant manager came over to Schneider and thanked him for his services. A free beer was also brought as well. 

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“I was a little bit rattled afterwards. So, the beer did come in handy,” Schneider said.

Schneider knew that there was going to be added pressure on him this year as he embarks on his first full season as the Blue Jays’ manager, but not like this.

He took over for Charlie Montoyo, who was fired mid-season in 2022. He got a three-year contract after leading the Blue Jays to a 46-28 record during the regular season to finish 92-70, good for second in the AL East. The Blue Jays, however, couldn’t get past the Seattle Mariners in the wild-card round.