Tanner Bibee is 0-7 on the season. He would like you to know that does not tell the whole story.
The Cleveland Guardians right hander addressed his winless record after Sunday’s 9-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox, a game in which he pitched well enough to earn a victory before the bullpen surrendered a six-run seventh inning and erased everything he had built over six solid innings. Bibee did not deflect, did not make excuses, and did not sound like a pitcher who has lost confidence in what he is doing on the mound. He sounded like a pitcher who understands the game at a deeper level than the win loss column reflects.
“deGrom won the Cy Young however many years ago going 9-13,” Bibee said.
"Wins and losses don't matter for starting pitchers"- Austin Hedges
While #Guardians Tanner Bibee is winless, he reiterates that his own record isnt the most important stat to him in self-evaluating
"deGrom won the Cy Young however many years ago going 9-13"#GuardsBall @WEWS pic.twitter.com/FqgGFg7Drm
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) May 31, 2026
Through 13 starts and 69 innings in 2026, Bibee carries a 4.57 ERA, a 1.304 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts. Those are not Cy Young caliber numbers, and it would be dishonest to pretend the ERA is not a concern for a pitcher who posted a 3.72 ERA over his first three big league seasons. But the win loss record is genuinely misleading as an indicator of his performance level. Sunday was the clearest example yet, as he held Boston to 3 earned runs over 6 innings and left with a lead that the bullpen promptly surrendered.
His last five starts tell a complicated story. The loss to Washington on May 25th was genuinely difficult, as he lasted only 3 innings and allowed 7 runs. The start against Detroit on May 20th was his best outing in weeks, going 8 innings and allowing just 1 earned run in a team victory. The starts against Cincinnati and Minnesota reflected a pitcher who was competitive but not dominant, giving Cleveland a chance to win without putting opponents away consistently.
What Bibee is describing when he talks about self evaluation beyond wins and losses is the kind of professional mindset that serves a pitcher well over a long season. The leadoff home run problem is real and he knows it. He has now allowed 4 leadoff blasts this season, the most in baseball, and that habit of falling behind early has cost him on multiple occasions. Fixing that one tendency would change the entire complexion of what his starts look like.
The five year, $48 million extension Cleveland gave Bibee through 2029 is a reflection of what the organization believes he is capable of being when everything clicks. The 27-year-old right-hander out of Mission Viejo, California has not been that pitcher consistently in 2026, and he knows it better than anyone. But he is also not wrong when he points out that the win total does not capture the full picture of what is happening every fifth day.
DeGrom went 9-13 and won the Cy Young. Bibee is not deGrom, but the point stands. Judge the pitcher, not the record.
NEXT: Guardians Lose Series To Red Sox As Bullpen Falters In Sunday Finale
