Shane Bieber picks up World Series win with start reminiscent of Guardians tenure

Even though Shane Bieber has been a Blue Jay for nearly three months, it’s still weird to see him pitching in a uniform other than a Guardians one. We got a reminder of that on Tuesday on baseball’s biggest stage when Bieber made his World Series debut for Toronto. 

And what a World Series debut it was. 

After posting a 4.38 ERA in his first 12 1/3 postseason innings, Bieber allowed just one run over 5 1/3 innings in Toronto’s 6-2 win over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the World Series. With the win, the series is guaranteed to go back to Toronto after today’s Game 5. 

While the Blue Jays would have taken Bieber’s start at any point in the World Series, it meant a little more yesterday considering it came less than 24 hours after both teams battled for 18 innings on Monday.

Even though it likely won’t be the last time we’re going to see Bieber in this series thanks to the travel day before the series returns to Toronto, every strong start from him increases his potential earnings in free agency this winter. 

Shane Bieber looked like his Guardians self in the World Series yesterday

Bieber’s start on Monday should look familiar to every Guardians fan. Although he only racked up three strikeouts, he was in control of the strike zone from the first inning and only allowed one ball in play with an exit velocity greater than 100 miles per hour. Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-3 against Bieber with two strikeouts after reaching base nine times in Game 3.

The Dodgers’ lone run against him came in the second inning when Enrique Hernández hit a sacrifice fly that was set up by a walk to Max Muncy and Tommy Edman single. 

That was the last time the Dodgers would get anything going against Bieber until they got two runners on base in the sixth inning before he was pulled for Mason Fluharty. Fluharty retired Muncy and Edman to end the threat. 

He wasn’t the only former Guardian to get in on the action either. Ernie Clement racked up another multi-hit game at the bottom of the Blue Jays order, while Andrés Giménez recorded a big RBI single in Toronto’s big seventh inning. 

The Blue Jays’ front office rolled the dice on Bieber by acquiring him at the trade deadline in exchange for pitching prospect Khal Stephen, but it’s turned into a win for the Blue Jays by virtue of them making the World Series.  

While there’s still a chance the Guardians could win the trade in the long-term if Stephen ends up becoming a rotational mainstay, Bieber’s strong start against the Dodgers helps solidify the Blue Jays as short-term winners.