Guardian of the galaxy
Bieber throws 3-hit complete game to beat Sox in first game of doubleheader
CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber pitched a three-hitter for his first complete game this year and Jose Ramirez and Amed Rosario drove in two runs apiece, sending the Cleveland Guardians over the White Sox 4-1 on Tuesday in a doubleheader opener.
Bieber (4-5) struck out seven and walked none in just the 17th complete game in the major leagues this season. He had been 0-2 in six starts since winning at Baltimore on June 3, the longest winless streak of his big-league career.
The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner carried a one-hit shutout into the seventh en route to his first complete game since Aug. 4, 2019.
It was the fourth complete game of Bieber’s career and the first by a Cleveland pitcher since 2020. The 27-year-old right-hander required only 95 pitches to wrap up the 2-hour, 9-minute game.
Rosario had a pair of RBI doubles off Davis Martin (1-3), driving in Austin Hedges in the third and Myles Straw in the fifth. The Guardians took a 3-0 lead in the third, when Ramirez’s two-run single scored Steven Kwan and Rosario.
Ramirez, selected for his fourth All-Star Game, leads the American League with 68 RBIs, three more than Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
Eloy Jimenez singled home Andrew Vaughn in the seventh, cutting the Sox deficit to 4-1. The Sox had two on with one out before Gavin Sheets bounced into an inning-ending double play.
Martin worked a season-high six innings, giving up four runs while striking out three after being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte. The 25-year-old right-hander made his big-league debut May 17 at Kansas City.