Blue Jays manager John Schneider was quick to react when he noticed a woman choking on her food while having lunch in Florida. (Reuters)
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider was in the right place at the right time for a life-affirming moment on Saturday afternoon.
Schneider, who was attending his first spring training session as the club’s skipper, was having lunch with his wife at a restaurant in the Dunedin, Fla., area when a woman began choking on her meal and required first aid. The problem, however, is that no one at their table knew what to do.
Realizing that this was the case, Schneider got up from his seat to offer help and began performing the Heimlich maneuver, which eventually saved the woman’s life. The 43-year-old then received a free beer for his heroic effort, which calmed his racing pulse.
“A woman was choking, I think it was one [piece of] shrimp, and I wandered over there and asked if I could help — nobody at their table helped,” Schneider said. “Well, a few Heimlichs and everything was fine.”
Before Saturday, Schneider admitted he hadn’t practiced the Heimlich maneuver since he first learned it in 6th grade. Still, he remembered enough to apply his knowledge, leaning on his 6-foot-3, 250-pound frame to help remove the shrimp.
“I learned it [the Heimlich maneuver] in sixth grade, and I hadn’t done it since,” Schneider said. “So it was just, ‘I think I remember how to do that,’ and I’m a bigger guy — so I think that helped a little bit.”
Whenever a person in a movie or TV show is choking on food, the problem is usually solved by having the character throw up their meal in a dramatic fashion—think “Mrs. Doubt.” But nothing like that happened this time.
Instead, once Schneider’s Heimlich maneuver was successful, the woman was able to breathe again without having to spit her food across the table.
“It wasn’t like a movie. It wasn’t like across the table. It just came naturally I guess. But it wasn’t like popping a bottle of champagne,” Schneider explained.
Schneider’s efforts are another example of how not all heroes wear cloaks. He is also the second Toronto coach to save a life, along with former Maple Leafs skipper Dan Howley, who saved a girl from drowning while managing the Cincinnati Reds in 1931.
The Blue Jays named Schneider interim manager last season after firing Charlie Montoyo, making him the 15th manager in franchise history. He led the team to a 46-28 record and secured the first wildcard start in the American League.
Schneider signed a three-year contract extension in the off-season with a club option until 2026 ahead of his first full season as the club’s manager.
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