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MLB Fans Poke Fun at Tanner Bibee Missing Opening Day Start Due to Illness

Ryan Phillips

Tanner Bibee went 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 2024.
Tanner Bibee went 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 2024. / David Richard-Imagn Images
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Tanner Bibee will miss his scheduled start for the Cleveland Guardians against the Kansas City Royals on Opening Day due to an illness. It was reportedly due to food poisoning, and MLB fans had a lot of fun with that.

During an appearance on the Just Baseball Show before the 2024 season, Bibee claimed he eats Chipotle every day he pitches, and that led to a whole lot of jokes.

The jokes came fast and furious.

Bibee recently signed a five-year, $48 million contract extension and he has developed into the team's clear No. 1 starter.

In 2024, Bibee went 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP and 187 strikeouts in 173 2/3 innings over 31 starts. That followed a rookie season in 2023 in which he went 10-4 with a 2.98 ERA in 25 starts.

The 26-year-old was excellent in spring training, as he went 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP.

Hopefully Bibee recovers quickly and can get back on the mound soon. Ben Lively will step in and start in his place.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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