On Friday, the Cleveland Guardians revealed that Tanner Bibee will take the ball for the team in its Opening Day assignment vs. the Seattle Mariners on Thursday. Surprisingly, it will be the first time the righty starts the ever-important first game of the season.
He had gotten the nod last year, but was ultimately scratched from that game due to acute gastroenteritis, confirmed as food poisoning. He returned just a few days later.
Bibee didn’t hide his excitement and feels proud to lead his club from the get-go. It will be his job to set the tone and promote a winning culture with a solid start.
“The fact that you get the second time, it’s kind of like a vote of confidence, and it’s a really nice thing to just have the opportunity again to go out there and lead us on Opening Night. Obviously, I didn’t get to do it last year, so I think the emotions will still be the same. So I’m pretty excited,” he said, per Mason Horodyski of News 5 Cleveland.
#Guardians Tanner Bibee on getting another chance to be the Opening Day starter after getting scratched last year due to illness:
"The fact that you get the 2nd time, it's kind of like a vote of confidence, and it's a really nice thing to just have the opportunity again to go out…— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) March 20, 2026
Maybe Gavin Williams had a better season last year from a run-prevention standpoint, with a 3.06 ERA compared to a 4.24 mark by Bibee, but the latter had the highest fWAR, 1.9 to Williams’ 1.4. Their Fielding Independent Pitching, or FIP, was very similar: 4.34 for Bibee and 4.39 for Williams. This information doesn’t say much other than the fact that both hurlers have a lot of room to grow.
Bibee’s 4.24 ERA wasn’t his finest work, but he at least showed a huge reaction in the second half and, particularly, in September, when he posted a 1.30 ERA in 27.2 innings. That’s his ceiling, and it’s still quite high.
Let’s not forget this is a pitcher who racked up 3.0 fWAR as a rookie in 2023 and had a 3.3 mark in 2024. He might not be a bona fide superstar like Tarik Skubal or Garrett Crochet, but Bibee is a steady, dependable hurler in his prime who will show the world that the version of himself he showed last year is far from his best.
Maybe the best is yet to come for Bibee, and he has been rewarded with the ever-symbolic Opening Day start.
NEXT: Guardians Announce Key Roster Moves Ahead Of Opening Day
