CLEVELAND -- Tanner Bibee greeted Austin Hedges in front of the pitcher's mound. With Bibee grinning ear to ear, he and Hedges shared a hug as the right-hander then tapped his catcher on the chest in a moment of celebration.
Bibee threw his first career shutout on Friday to lead the Guardians to a 4-0 win over the White Sox at Progressive Field. In his best start of the 2025 season, Bibee struck out 10 and allowed just two singles and a hit by pitch on 103 pitches (74 strikes).
Bibee became the first Cleveland pitcher to throw a shutout since Zach Plesac on Sept. 10, 2019, against the Angels.
“That was special,” manager Stephen Vogt said of Bibee’s performance.
The Guardians (76-71) improved to 8-4 in September as they won for the seventh time over their past eight games. Cleveland is 3 1/2 games back of the final American League Wild Card spot.
It’s a run that has been spurred by Cleveland’s starting pitching. The Guardians’ rotation leads the Majors in ERA (2.62) and innings (75 2/3) over 12 games this month, which includes Slade Cecconi carrying a no-hit bid into the eighth inning Monday and Joey Cantillo throwing eight-plus innings Tuesday.
“I feel like whenever you see those guys go out and do what they're supposed to do,” Bibee said, “it incentivizes you to go back out there and kind of do what you're supposed to do as well.”
It has been a frustrating season for Bibee. He signed a five-year contract extension on March 22 and entered the season as Cleveland’s ace, but he has gone through stretches of inconsistency.
Bibee carried a 4.69 ERA over 28 starts into Friday. He finished last season with a 3.47 ERA in 31 starts.
“I think when you are an ace of a staff and you are really proven, you get a nice extension, the league takes you very, very seriously,” Hedges said. “And the league starts really, really game-planning hard for you, so you then have to make an adjustment.
“Every good pitcher is constantly making adjustments. So this year, Tanner’s had to -- for the first time, probably, in his career -- learn how to make those adjustments when the league adjusts to him. What we've seen as of late is him punching back.”
Bibee may be finding his form just as the Guardians’ push for a postseason spot ramps up. Over his past four starts, he has thrown at least six innings, marking his first such stretch this season. He has recorded a 3.54 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in 28 innings during that span and now has thrown back-to-back quality starts.
Bibee was asked whether he had found anything in particular to spur his recent success.
“Not anything specific. I feel like it's just super simple stuff that makes me look stupid for five months,” he said with a chuckle. “But other than that, no. I feel like getting into a [playoff] push, you kind of get a little more of an edge.”
Bibee retired Chicago’s first seven hitters before he allowed consecutive singles to Chase Meidroth and Will Robertson in the third. He quickly induced a 6-3 double play to end the threat.
The White Sox only other baserunners came when Mike Tauchman reached on an error by third baseman José Ramírez in the sixth and when Bibee hit Robertson to lead off the ninth.
Bibee noted after his last start against the Rays that, in the past, he was better at letting things roll off his shoulders. He felt he had a better mindset against Tampa Bay. Friday’s moment against Robertson offered a test.
“Going out there and hitting the first guy, I was like, ‘Oh man, OK. We’re going to have to fight some adversity here,’” Bibee said. “I feel like if this would have caught me in July, I might have tailspun and kind of just hammered myself in the ground.
“But I think … learning some stuff about myself and just being able to stay composed, I don't need everything to go well for me to succeed.”
The success came in bunches on Friday, during Cleveland’s crucial stretch of 17 games in 17 days in the heat of a postseason race.
“Tanner is our guy, and he hasn't had the year he's wanted to,” Vogt said. “To put together a start like that at a time when we absolutely needed it … it was a huge night for him and a huge night for us.”