Shane Bieber continues his Opening Day excellence for the Cleveland Guardians

Shane Bieber made his fifth consecutive Opening Day start Thursday night in Oakland, and it might just be his last as a Cleveland Guardian.

But if that's the case, Bieber went about his usual Opening Day business, which is to say he was utterly dominant. Bieber went six innings Thursday, striking out 11 hitters while allowing four hits and walking just one.

This is just how Bieber does things on Opening Day. Now including Thursday's gem, Bieber has a 0.94 ERA in those five Opening Day starts, with a ridiculous 44 strikeouts and five walks in 28 2/3 innings.

Though he never topped out above 93 miles per hour Thursday, which is to be expected at this point, Bieber used his four-pitch mix to keep hitters off-balance all night. Most impressively, Bieber generated ten whiffs on 11 swings with his cutter. This is the Bieber Guardians fans have come to know and love over the past couple of seasons - a reduction in velocity has turned Bieber into a surgeon on the mound, using every inch of the strike zone and a full complement of pitches to dominate opposing lineups.

The only question for Bieber at this point will be whether or not he can stay healthy for a full season. That will no doubt dictate the future of his career and what he'll earn in his next contract, whether it's with Cleveland or somewhere else. But there's certainly no question as to who still remains the ace of this Guardians pitching staff.