The American League edged out yet another win at the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Cleveland. Highlights included former Indian’s pitcher and current Yankees veteran C.C. Sabathia make a mound visit, a towering home run from both Charlie Blackmon and Joey Gallo, and one that was flooded with superstars like Mike Trout, Christian Yelich and Gary Sanchez. But the star of the night was some guy named Bieber.
No, not that Bieber. Indians pitcher Shane Bieber (no relation) appeared in the fifth inning and made such quick work of the National League that he was named MVP. The right-hander struck out the side after blowing a 95 mph fastball past Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, sitting down Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte and flat out confusing Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. with a slider, ESPN reported.
The starter inspired chants of “Let’s go, Bieber!” from the crowd of 36,747 and an enthusiastic round of applause from his skipper, Terry Francona.
“I really didn’t know what to think,” Bieber said of his MVP win. “Kinda lost all feeling in my body. But it’s an incredible feeling now. Now that it’s kind of sinking in, just to be able to do it in front of the hometown crowd in my first All-Star Game is definitely not something I expected.”
Bieber just barely made the team, too, as a late addition the Friday before the big game when it was announced that Rangers starter Mike Minor was no longer able to play since he was pitching on Sunday.
But the dominance Bieber displayed on Tuesday evening wasn’t that surprising to those who know his stuff. The All Star has pitched in 112⅓ innings this season in which he’s struck out 141 and walked just 23, according to ESPN. He currently holds an 8-3 record with a 3.45 ERA. The Indians scooped him up in the fourth round of the 2016 draft and joined the squad in 2018 after playing just 50 games in the minors.
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