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Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider recently showed he didn't have to be in a dugout to make a successful adjustment, using a Heimlich maneuver to dislodge a shrimp from a woman's throat at a Florida restaurant. Schneider spoke about it when he met with reporters at spring training in Dunedin, Fla. The incident occurred two weeks ago at Clear Sky Draught Haus, about a mile north of TD Ballpark.
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"I was eating lunch and a woman was choking on a shrimp," Schneider said. "I wandered over there and asked if I could help. No one at her table was helping. A couple Heimlichs and she was all good.
"Right place, right time. I was just enjoying lunch with [my wife] Jess. You either help or you don't. I decided to see if I could go over and help."
Schneider said he learned the Heimlich maneuver when he was in sixth grade, but hadn't performed it since. He said the shrimp surfaced naturally in response to his action.
Clear Sky Draught Haus general manager Nicholas Christakos told Sportsnet that Schneider received a free beer for his rescue.
"I heard he was really polite and really gentle, and then helped her with the Heimlich," Christakos said. "He was very nonchalant and walked back over."
Schneider, 43, took over last season as interim manager in July after the Blue Jays fired manager Charlie Montoyo. The Blue Jays removed Schneider's interim tag in October, when he signed a three-year deal.
Schneider led the Blue Jays to a 46-28 record in the second half of last season. The former MLB catcher was a catching instructor for the Blue Jays and later became manager of the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in 2008.
In 2010, he was promoted to manage the Short-Season Class-A Vancouver Canadians. He also managed the Class-A Lansing Lugnuts and Class-AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
Schneider was a bench coach last season until promoted.
The Blue Jays will start their spring training schedule against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:05 p.m. EST Saturday at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.
