The Cleveland Guardians cruised through an easy 8-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.
It didn’t matter that the game was played at the Oakland Coliseum: Cleveland’s victory was never under any type of threat.
They were dominant from the start, and by the end of the fourth inning, they were already up 6-0.
The main reason why Cleveland threw a collective shutout was Shane Bieber.
The ace was scoreless for six frames, allowing just four hits and a walk.
On the night, he also accumulated a whopping 11 strikeouts.
He looked like vintage Bieber: his four-seam fastball averaged 92.3 mph, a full mph higher than 2023, and his changeup was also faster.
In total, he racked up 18 swings and misses: 12 on the cutter, four on his changeup, and two on the fastball.
It was a night to remember for him.
For A’s hitters?
They would rather forget about it very quickly.
That’s, at least, what Guardians designated hitter David Fry implied.
Nails & Nasty.
Shane Bieber was outstanding on Opening Day. 💯 #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/0LosfJdJWw
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) March 29, 2024
Bally Sports Cleveland posted some of Fry’s quotes about Bieber.
He said the pitcher was “nails,” and that every time he was on base (three times, to be exact), opposing players had something to say about the right-hander.
“Dude, I can’t see his stuff,” was one of the comments.
Guardians fans have to feel good about how Bieber looked.
He showed diminished velocity and strikeout numbers last year, but thanks to a strict offseason routine at Driveline, he was able to hit 93.7 mph on his heater on Thursday.
That has unlocked the rest of his arsenal.
Everybody better prepare, because Bieber is looking like the best version of himself.
NEXT: Shane Bieber Joined Legendary Group With Opening Day Performance
