Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee pitched an incredible game on Wednesday night against the Detroit Tigers. Luck and run support, however, are two things he hasn’t really enjoyed this season.
He completed eight frames, allowing a single run on four hits and a walk. He also fanned five and managed to bring down his ERA to a cool 3.75.
After his first four starts, Bibee’s ERA was 6.38. He has come a long way since then and has resembled the pitcher who dominated the league last September in recent outings, including Wednesday’s.
Unfortunately for him, he still doesn’t know what it feels like to win a baseball game in 2026. He has a stunning 0-6 record that could have been 0-7 had the offense not produced the tying run in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s game vs. the Tigers.
Far from criticizing his offense for the lack of run support in his starts, Bibee praised the team’s spirit for their refusal to surrender even in the most adverse circumstances. That resilience allowed the Guardians to tie the game in the ninth frame and win it in extras.
“That’s been our kind of motif for the past three years,” Bibee said of the Guardians getting off the mat, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. “No matter how long we’ve been down, no matter how long we haven’t done anything, we can flip a switch at any point and put up some runs. That’s the ‘down but never out’ aspect of it.”
The wins will eventually come for Bibee, as long as he keeps pitching as he has in his last seven turns. Over that stretch, the talented righty boasts a brilliant 2.59 ERA in 41.2 innings.
That’s the pitcher that captivated the fan base in 2023, with a brilliant debut season. This version of Bibee is closer to his real talent level than the one who finished the 2025 campaign with a 4.24 ERA.
Last night’s game is a reminder of the Guardians’ fighting spirit, of their never-surrender attitude and demeanor. The offense had been shut out for eight full frames, and they managed to manufacture the tying run with two singles, a sac bunt, and a groundout.
The big hits, the ones that went for extra bases, came an inning later, courtesy of Angel Martinez and Jose Ramirez. Cleveland can beat teams with small ball, but also with the big blasts.
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