Brett Bateman has made a strong first impression with the Toronto Blue Jays, but long before he ever wore this uniform, he did something far more important than anything he'll ever do on a baseball field.
Bateman was a freshman at the University of Minnesota in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when his quick thinking helped save the life of a fellow student, Maddie Johnson, living just three doors down from him.
On November 4, 2020, Bateman was working with a tutor in a study room when he heard a thud and found Johnson collapsed in the hallway.
"There was kind of an initial shock," Bateman told KARE 11. "She was really pale. And I was like, 'Hello, are you OK?' And she really wasn't responding."
Johnson had woken up that day with shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat, brushing it off as nothing serious before heading to fill up a water bottle.
"My vision just went black," Johnson said. "And I collapsed to the ground."
How lessons from health class turned into a real rescue
Bateman leaned on something he'd learned in a high school health class, keeping Johnson calm and still while he called 911 and coordinated fellow students to help paramedics once they arrived.
Johnson was rushed to a medical center, where she suffered cardiac arrest from a blood clot and had to be revived twice.
"For him to step up for a complete stranger and call 911, and help save my life along with medical staff was truly incredible," Johnson said.
Bateman wouldn't take full credit for it, saying only that he was "super thankful" everything turned out okay and that Johnson survived.
Since that day, Bateman's baseball path has taken him through the Cubs organization after being drafted in 2023, before arriving in Toronto as part of the trade that sent Kevin Gausman to Chicago.
Since being called up last week, he's made a real impact, hitting .259 across his first six games while going 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position and driving in three runs.
Whatever Bateman does in a Blue Jays uniform going forward, this is the story that will always matter more.
Does knowing this story about Brett Bateman change how you view him as a Blue Jay?
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