KC has no answer for Cleveland ace

AMERICAN LEAGUE

INDIANS 2, ROYALS 0

CLEVELAND — From All-Star MVP to ace, and Shane Bieber’s only getting better.

Bieber struck out 14 over six scoreless innings as the Indians, making a statement for minorities by wearing their road jerseys with “Cleveland” on the front, took off on a 60-game season sprint by beating the Kansas City Royals 2-0 in their delayed home opener on Friday night.

Bieber began last season as a No. 5 starter with plenty of potential. But the 25-yearold, who earned MVP honors in the All-Star Game at Progressive Field in July, has become the heir apparent to two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber, traded by Cleveland to Texas in December.

Bieber’s 14 strikeouts set a club record for Opening Day and are the most in the majors in an opener since Hall of Famer Randy Johnson also struck out 14 on March 31, 1996.

Oscar Mercado and Cesar Hernandez drove in runs in

the fifth for Cleveland, which was blanked over the first four innings by Royals starter Danny Duffy (0-1).

But Duffy was pulled in the fifth by first-year Royals Manager Mike Matheny after 65 pitches. Reliever Scott Barlow then gave up consecutive hits to Mercado and Hernandez, the Indians’ new leadoff hitter and second baseman.

Adam Cimber and Nick Wittgren pitched a scoreless inning apiece, and Brad Hand worked around hitting the leadoff hitter in the ninth for a save.

The Royals struck out 18 times. The Indians opened this unique season united.

As the club contemplates a name change for the first time in 105 years, the players elected to wear their blue road “Cleveland” jerseys instead of the home whites with “Indians” across the chest.

All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor said the fashion choice was a statement designed to raise awareness for all minorities and support the team’s consideration of a name change that many groups have said is long overdue.

“It gives us hope that change will get done,” said Lindor, whose un- certain future hangs over the club. “It’s a huge statement. I stand by my teammates. I stand by minorities and people who need the spotlight. We’re there.”

Bieber started slowly, hitting Whit Merrifield to open the game before settling in and finding his groove.

The right-hander struck out eight of nine during one stretch and sent more than one Royals back to the dugout shaking his head.

Bieber ran into his only trouble in the fifth. A pair of singles gave the Royals runners at second and third with two outs, but Bieber struck out Adalberto Mondesi to end the threat and punctuated the punch-out with a fist pump.

Bieber was penciled in to start the Indians’ originally scheduled opener in March before the coronavirus pandemic shut down baseball.

BLUE JAYS 6, RAYS 4 Cavan Biggio hit a three-run home run and Toronto began its stillin-progress odyssey by topping Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg, Fla. Biggio’s infield single began a three-run fourth inning off 36-year-old Charlie Morton, who made his first career start on opening day. Randal Grichuk, Rowdy Tellez and Teoscar Hernandez drove in the runs. Biggio, son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, homered in the fifth for a 6-1 lead.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

CUBS 3, BREWERS 0 Kyle Hendricks convinced new Manager David Ross to let him finish a three-hitter, Anthony Rizzo homered and dished out hand sanitizer, and host Chicago started the season by beating Milwaukee. Ian Happ also had a two-run drive and Ross got his first victory as a big league manager. Hendricks struck out nine and walked none in his first career opening-day start and fourth career shutout. Orlando Arcia had each of Milwaukee’s hits off Hendricks (1-0). Ross came out to check on Hendricks with two out and a runner on first in the ninth. He decided to leave him in, and Keston Hiura bounced into a game-ending fielder’s choice on Hendricks’ 103rd pitch.

MARLINS 5, PHILLIES 2 Jesus Aguilar hit a two-run home run off Aaron Nola, Sandy Alcantara pitched neatly into the seventh and visiting Miami spoiled Manager Joe Girardi’s first game in Philadelphia. The Marlins opened a shortened season delayed by the coronavirus by picking up where they left off last year against the Phillies. They were 10-9 against Philadelphia in 2019, 4796 against everyone else. Alcantara (1-0) allowed 2 runs — 1 earned — and 3 hits, striking out 7 in 62/3 innings. Nola (0-1) gave up 4 runs and 5 hits, striking out 7 in 51/3 innings. The Phillies have lost his last eight starts since a 3-2 victory at Boston last Aug. 20.

METS 1, BRAVES 0 Yoenis Cespedes came back with a bang, taking immediate advantage of the new designated hitter rule in the National League by launching a home run that sent Jacob deGrom and host New York past Atlanta. After five dominant innings from deGrom, who was popping the catcher’s mitt with 99 mph fastballs from the start, Cespedes connected in the seventh off reliever Chris Martin (0-1) for his first long ball since his previous major league game on July 20, 2018. The slugger missed most of the past two seasons with a string of leg injuries, requiring surgery on both heels and then a broken ankle after a bad fall at his Florida ranch in a reported run-in with a wild boar. Seth Lugo (1-0) tossed two innings, pitching out of trouble in the seventh for New York.

INTERLEAGUE

REDS 7, TIGERS 1 In Cincinnati, Mike Moustakas drove in four runs in an emphatic first impression, teaming with fellow Reds newcomers Shogo Akiyama and Nick Castellanos to turn the Reds’ long-delayed opener into a victory over Detroit. They combined to produce Cincinnati’s first three runs, and Moustakas added a tworun home run as the Reds were off and running. Sonny Gray (1-0) fanned 9 and gave up 3 hits in 6 innings, including C.J. Cron’s home run that clanked around the empty metal bleacher seats in the upper deck.

Bieber