Tanner Bibee earns first Opening Day start for Guardians

Tanner Bibee has been named the starting pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians' first game of the 2025 season. This will be the first Opening Day start of his career. Bibee previously pitched for the Guardians in the AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees, showing strong performance on short rest. With former star pitchers Corey Kluber and Shane Bieber no longer filling that role, Bibee has emerged as the leading choice for the season opener. Bibee expressed that it's "an honor" to start on Opening Day and described it as a goal he can check off his list. He will face Cole Ragans from the Kansas City Royals, who is a top contender for the AL Cy Young Award. Bibee was a strong candidate for the Rookie of the Year award in 2023 and continued to impress in 2024. His catchers, Austin Hedges and David Fry, have high hopes for him, with Fry stating he believes Bibee can win the Cy Young Award in the future. Bibee appreciates the support from his teammates but understands that winning comes down to his performance on the field. In a recent game against the Cincinnati Reds, he demonstrated his skills by pitching six scoreless innings with only 66 pitches. He aims to improve his pitch efficiency this season. Last year, he sometimes faced high pitch counts early in games. Bibee is focused on being more economical to pitch deeper into games, using his talent effectively.