The Cleveland Guardians’ season ended on Monday night with a 7-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, and the second guessing has already begun. Most of the attention will fall on an offense that struggled to score late in the series, but one pitching decision has left plenty of people scratching their heads. Tanner Bibee, Cleveland’s Opening Day starter, barely pitched at all during the postseason, even as the Guardians leaned on nearly every other arm on their staff. That included Monday’s elimination game, when Cleveland used eight different pitchers and none of them was Bibee.
MLB Network’s Chris Rose called it out during the game, giving the Rays credit for shutting down Cleveland’s bats but adding that “one of the great mysteries is what happened to Tanner Bibee.”
“While a lack of hitting might eventually do in the Guardians (credit to the Rays), one of the great mysteries is what happened to Tanner Bibee. I know, Bibee wasn’t great, but he led CLE in starts/innings. How Matt Festa is more trustworthy than your opening-day starter needs an explanation,” Rose wrote.
While a lack of hitting might eventually do in the Guardians (credit to the Rays), one of the great mysteries is what happened to Tanner Bibee.
I know, Bibee wasn't great, but he led CLE in starts/innings. How Matt Festa is more trustworthy than your opening-day starter…
— Chris Rose (@ChrisRose) October 20, 2026
Rose acknowledged that Bibee did not have a great season, but he pointed out that the right hander led the Guardians in starts and innings. He then questioned how Matt Festa could be viewed as more trustworthy than the team’s Opening Day starter, saying that decision needs an explanation.
The numbers explain why Rose found it so strange. Bibee made all 33 of his scheduled starts during the regular season and threw 188 innings, the most on the staff. He recorded nineteen quality starts, the most by a Cleveland pitcher since Shane Bieber in 2022, and was named a Gold Glove finalist this month.
Bibee made just one appearance all October. In Game 4 of the division series against the White Sox, he entered in the fifth inning and walked two of the three batters he faced before being lifted, and both runners eventually scored. He never pitched again. Festa, meanwhile, made his first postseason appearance in Game 4 of the ALCS and allowed a two run homer to Yandy Díaz in the ninth inning, then walked a batter in Game 6.
There are reasons the Guardians may have gone in a different direction. Bibee struggled badly in September, posting a 7.36 ERA over five starts, and his only postseason outing did not inspire much confidence. Stephen Vogt also found success with creative pitching plans, pairing Daniel Espino as an opener with Joey Cantillo and leaning on Shawn Armstrong, who did not allow a run in his first several postseason appearances. Foster Griffin emerged as a reliable multi inning option, too, striking out fifteen batters in 10 1/3 innings.
Still, the workload eventually caught up with Cleveland’s staff. Armstrong started Game 6 after pitching on each of the previous two days, becoming the first pitcher in postseason history to do so, and the Rays scored early. Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis, who had been nearly untouchable, each allowed two run homers in the final innings. A fresh Bibee might have been able to absorb some of those innings, which is exactly why his absence stood out.
The Guardians still had a remarkable year, coming back from a 70-70 record in September to win the division and rallying from an 0-2 hole to beat the White Sox. But as the offseason begins, the question of what happened to Bibee is one that fans will want answered.
NEXT: Guardians Drop Game 6 And Say Goodbye To Their World Series Dreams
