OAKLAND — That is the Shane Bieber everybody has been ready for.
The indicators have been there all spring. Bieber has given each indication that he’s getting again into his Cy Younger type, however he was lastly in a position to put it to the take a look at on Thursday evening, as he led his staff to an 8-0 Opening Day victory over the A’s on the Coliseum with six scoreless innings and 11 strikeouts handy Stephen Vogt his first profession managerial win.
Bieber turned the sixth pitcher in AL/NL historical past to report at the least 10 strikeouts in three or extra Opening Day performances, becoming a member of Randy Johnson (4 instances), Bob Gibson (three), Pedro Martinez (three), Félix Hernández (three) and Max Scherzer (three).
“We didn’t have a solution for Bieber tonight,” A’s supervisor Mark Kotsay mentioned. “We had been swinging on the proper pitches. However exterior of JJ [Bleday], he just about dominated us tonight, up and down the lineup. He has that capacity. There’s a motive he gained the Cy Younger in ’20.”
This seemed like a unique Bieber from the previous few years. His velocity, his strikeout complete and his changeup had been the largest issues to show that.
“The entire world is aware of who Shane Bieber is,” Guardians catcher Austin Hedges mentioned. “He simply made that adjustment that now the league goes to must readjust to him.”
Let’s begin with the rate. Bieber threw six pitches sooner than 93.0 mph. In all of ’23 (granted, it was shortened attributable to elbow bother), he solely threw 11 pitches sooner than 93. It had been since Aug. 14, 2022, that he final had at the least six heaters clock in at that velocity. And retaining in thoughts that it’s early within the 12 months and starters are nonetheless constructing as much as their midseason kinds, it’s an optimistic signal that there’s extra to come back.
“Felt nice,” Bieber mentioned of his outing. “A variety of arduous work on show, and proceed to maintain my head down and do what I at all times do, and we’ll see the place we find yourself.”
That brings us to his strikeouts. The punchout king from years previous had began to turn into extra hittable over the previous few years. This was his first double-digit strikeout efficiency since Sept. 1, 2022. In ’23, he ranked within the backside 2 % of the Majors in common exit velocity in opposition to him (91.6 mph). The contact in opposition to him on Thursday averaged 88.4 mph, which matches the league’s common (and clocks in decrease than every of his different six seasons).
“It’s simply humorous as a result of we’re not overdoing the curveball anymore,” Hedges mentioned. “We’re not overdoing the slider. He has some velo and a few journey to the fastball now. We’re simply pitching. We’re simply ready for the hitter to inform us what to throw.”
The largest takeaway, although, was Bieber’s changeup. He used the pitch steadily in 2019 and ’20, however hardly threw it the previous three seasons. Bieber mentioned that previously, he had been fixated on making his changeup slower. This offseason, he determined to just accept regardless of the radar gun says and belief the motion as an alternative. In doing that, he mentioned the changeup is now one of the best it’s ever been.
“Nonetheless sort of studying it, establishing it, however having quite a lot of enjoyable with it,” Bieber mentioned. “It opens up alternatives with what my bread and butter is, which is breaking balls.”
Bieber threw 13 changeups, 5 of which had been to right-handed batters. In ’23, he didn’t throw a single changeup to a righty. In ’22, he threw 4, and he threw only one in ’21. If Bieber is feeling assured sufficient so as to add this into his pitch combine constantly, this provides one other dimension to an already efficient starter.
“All these [other] pitches are both going straight or they’re breaking away from a righty or right into a lefty,” Hedges mentioned. “So it’s simply one other pitch so as to add one thing shifting the opposite approach, down the place he can use the entire strike zone.”
Yearly, Bieber has confirmed that he can reinvent himself to nonetheless be an ace, it doesn’t matter what hurdles he’s dealing with. Now with these hurdles seemingly out of sight, Bieber has an opportunity to take his recreation to the subsequent degree.
“The league adjusted to him and now we’re adjusting again,” Hedges mentioned. “And now the league’s gonna must make one other adjustment. … I feel it’s gonna be quite a lot of enjoyable to see what he can do that 12 months.”
