CLEVELAND — Sure, it was in the back of his head somewhere. He’s human, after all, even if his slider is not.
Shane Bieber’s only other postseason start was a disaster, and it doesn’t take many of those before guys develop a reputation for that sort of thing. Two or three poor playoff performances and suddenly the bright numbers of regular season begin to fade.
Bieber doesn’t have to worry about that right now. He was dominant in Friday’s 2-1 win over Tampa BayGive the following: GuardiansAn important 1-0 series lead in this best of three American League Wild Card Series. Cleveland is just one win away of advancing.
Bieber didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning. The Rays’Only one person was able to run the race: a single homer. Jose SiriIn the sixth, on a pitch that was down. Siri was able to hit the ball out. Bieber was commanding with his fastball. He worked the edges well, and finished off helpless hitters using a no-chance slider. It consistently flew out of the strikezone.
The Rays’ Shane McClanahanBieber’s was equal. Each ace allowed a home run, it’s just that Jose Ramirez hit his with a runner on base. Two of the league’s best pitchers combined to turn baseball back 40 years in a damn-your-pitch-clocks duel that lasted a tidy 2 hours, 17 minutes.
