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The Princeton native was thrown a curveball while at lunch with his wife near the team’s spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, according to multiple reports that were confirmed by the Blue Jays on social media.
“Manager John Schneider was out at lunch with his wife when a woman at another table was choking and couldn’t breathe,” they posted on Instagram. “Schneider rushed to her aid, performed the Heimlich maneuver, and saved her.
“Just another day in the life…”
The save at Clear Sky Draught Haus, near the team’s Florida facility, was first reported by SportsNet.
In an interview with MLB writer Keegan Matheson, Schneider said he learned about the Heimlich maneuver in sixth grade. He suspects his larger body helped, he said.
The coach reportedly brushed off any praise after his heroics, but he was brought a free beer at the restaurant that helped calm his nerves.
Schneider, a baseball-lifer, is in his first full season at the helm of the Blue Jays in a career that has truly come full circle.
He was raised in Lawrence Township and graduated from Lawrence High School before heading to the University of Delaware, where he played three seasons.
Schneider was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2001, though he didn’t sign, and was later picked up by the Blue Jays in the 13th round of the 2002 draft.
He was promoted to the Blue Jays’ staff in 2019 and spent last season as an interim manager with the Big League club, leading the team to the American League Wild Card Series, where they were dispatched by the Seattle Mariners in a swift 2-0 sweep.
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