Not all heroes wear capes, as Toronto Blue Jays skipper John Schneider was in the right place at the right time for a life-saving moment on Saturday in Dunedin, Fla.
Schneider was eating lunch with his wife at a local restaurant when a woman started choking on her meal and required first aid. The problem, however, is nobody at her table knew what to do.
Realizing that was the case, Schneider immediately offered assistance and started performing the Heimlich maneuver, ultimately saving the woman’s life. Afterward, the 43-year-old received a free beer for his heroic efforts, which helped calm his racing heart rate.
“A woman was choking on, I think it was a [piece of] shrimp, and I wandered over there, asked if I could help—no one at her table was helping,” Schneider said. “So, a couple Heimlichs and she was all good.”
Before Saturday, Schneider admitted he had not used the Heimlich maneuver since first learning it in Grade 6. Even so, he remembered enough to put his knowledge to use, leaning on his 6-foot-3, 250-pound frame to help dislodge the shrimp.
Once Schneider’s Heimlich maneuver proved successful, the woman could breathe again without needing to spit out her food across the table.
“It wasn’t like a movie. The food was not spit across the table,” Schneider told reporters. “It just came up naturally, I guess. But it wasn’t like popping a bottle of champagne.”
On Feb. 14, Schneider celebrated his 43rd birthday. This will be his first spring training as the Blue Jays manager, taking over after the firing of Charlie Montoyo, leading the team to a 46-28 record.
In late 2022, Schneider signed a three-year contract extension with the Blue Jays over the off-season, with a 2026 club option.
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