ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shane Bieber marked being six weeks removed from Tommy John surgery with a pair of milestones.
The Cleveland Guardians ace not only had the bulky brace from his right arm removed, he is back with his teammates for the first time since early April.
Bieber is on the Guardians' six-game road trip out West that began Friday with a weekend set against the Los Angeles Angels. Cleveland goes to Colorado for a three-game series Monday before Bieber heads back to the team's training facility in Goodyear, Arizona, to continue rehab.
Bieber has certainly rejoined his teammates at the right time. The AL Central-leading Guardians have won eight straight after Saturday night's 4-3 win over the Angels. It is Cleveland's longest winning streak since it ran off an AL-record 22 straight in 2017.
“It’s awesome to to be able to meet up with the guys, when they’re on such a heater. It's been fun to watch, both in person and from afar,” Bieber said before Saturday's game.
The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner had reconstructive surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on April 12 in Texas. Besides having the brace removed, Bieber has been going through the early rehab process of building back range of motion.
“It's had its difficulties over the first six weeks, but hopefully the process continues to go smoothly,” he said. “I'm feeling good and staying positive.”
When Bieber took the mound in Seattle on April 2, he had a feeling during the first inning that it was going to be his last start for some time as the pain in his elbow became too overwhelming. Bieber was limited to 21 starts last season also due to elbow issues.
Despite that, Bieber threw 83 pitches (55 strikes) in six scoreless innings and struck out nine. That followed not allowing a run and striking out 11 in six innings in the March 28 opener at Oakland.
“I saw some people ask why I was going through that? That's a natural question to ask, but with the context of what I dealt with last year and rehabbing it,” Bieber said. “I needed more feedback on what I was dealing with. I have no regrets and I’m happy to be moving forward.
“I knew what was going on and inevitably going to happen, that I was going to have to get surgery. Looking back, I'm thankful to have had that outing. Those first two outings going so well made it a little more difficult in a sense. It was an interesting experience in Seattle pitching and competing knowing it was going to be awhile.”
Besides discussing the next steps in rehab, the bigger question hanging over Bieber is his future in Cleveland. He is slated to be a free agent in the offseason since this is his final year under club control.
Bieber is 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA in 134 starts over seven seasons with Cleveland. The 28-year old said he would consider a short-term deal if it made sense.
“Honestly it's too far down the road for me. It’s a little bit different than I expected, but my mindset is the same. I’m confident in myself and there’s always something to be done, but at the same time I think everybody’s kind of focused on what’s going on right now.”
Even with Bieber and Trevor Stephan out for the year due to Tommy John surgeries, the Guardians' pitching staff has the fourth-lowest ERA in the majors.
Manager Stephen Vogt said having Bieber and Stephan back this weekend has provided another jolt of energy for a ballclub that has won seven straight.
“It's a huge pick-me-up for them and us. Any time you have Shane Bieber sitting around talking baseball, everybody's going to get better,” Vogt said.
Tanner Bibee, who allowed three runs in six innings en route to his first win in over a month, said it was reassuring seeing Bieber in the dugout between innings.
"Other than Cookie (Carlos Carrasco), Shane is our vet," Bibee said. “He helped me out a lot last year during my rookie year so it's been great having him here these past two days.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Cleveland Guardians' Shane Bieber stands in the dugout during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
FILE - Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber throws against the Seattle Mariners during a baseball game April 2, 2024, in Seattle. Bieber marked being six weeks removed from Tommy John surgery with a pair of milestones. The Guardians ace not only had the bulky brace from his right arm removed, he is back with his teammates for the first time since early April. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
LAUDERHILL, Fla. (AP) — Pakistan needed allrounder Shaheen Shah Afridi to show off his bowling and batting skills in a three-wicket consolation win over Ireland on Sunday as both cricket teams bowed out of their disappointing Twenty20 World Cup.
Afridi destroyed Ireland’s top-order batters with 3-22 and then smashed a couple of sixes in his unbeaten 13 off five balls as he guided Pakistan to a scrappy 111-7 in 18.5 overs to win its last Group A game. Captain Babar Azam was 32 not out and helplessly watched another batting collapse before Afridi’s little cameo came to Pakistan’s rescue.
After Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first, Afridi’s twin-wicket burst in the opening over had Ireland reeling at only 2 runs for the loss of two wickets. Ireland lost another batter to make it 4-3, and was then 15-4 off the first three overs.
Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim grabbed 3-8 in four overs to restrict Ireland to 106-9 on a lively wicket which had been under cover for most of the last week because of heavy rain in Florida, which had prevented the previous three games at the tournament venue.
“We lost back-to-back wickets, but managed to get over the line in the end,” Babar said. “We’ve got to go home, chat and see where we lacked and then come back. We couldn’t finish off close games… we weren’t good as a team.”
Pakistan, which failed to chase down a run-a-ball target against rival India and lost to the U.S. in a major upset, nearly messed up against a spirited Ireland bowling attack. At 52-2 after eight overs, it looked comfortable before Barry McCarthy (3-15) and Curtis Campher (2-24) sliced through the brittle middle-order and Pakistan slipped to 62-6 in 11 overs.
Abbas Afridi, playing his first game in the tournament, made 17 off 21 balls before he too holed out with 12 needed but Afridi ensured Pakistan didn’t lose.
Ireland finished last in its group with three defeats and its solitary point coming against the U.S. in a rain-abandoned game at the same venue. Pakistan finished third with four points behind qualifiers India and the United States.
“We played well in patches,” said Ireland skipper Paul Stirling, who couldn’t grab a difficult one-handed overhead catch of Afridi in the slips just before the left-hander hit the winning six. “They put pressure on us early on, but proud of the fight we’ve shown… it’s been a difficult couple of weeks, (we) go back, regroup and see if we can come back stronger.”
Afridi’s mesmerizing left-arm swing with the new white ball came a bit too late for Pakistan, which didn't advance for the first time at the T20 World Cup. Pakistan won the tournament in 2009 and was runner-up in 2022.
Afridi hit the top of Andy Balbirnie’s off stump in his second ball that darted into the right-hander, and then two balls later found the outside edge of Lorcan Tucker’s bat.
Afridi was so pumped up that Pakistan wasted both its reviews — against Harry Tector and Campher – inside the first 14 balls of the match. However, Afridi was lucky to win an onfield leg-before-wicket decision against Tector which the replays suggested could have been reverted had the Irish batter reviewed it.
Fast bowler Mohammad Amir (2-11) had Ireland on the mat at 28-5 inside the batting power play before Gareth Delany countercharged briefly by smacking three sixes in his breezy knock of 31 off 19 balls.
But Pakistan kept on coming hard at Ireland through Wasim’s spin. He had Delany caught at point off a leading edge in the 12th over before No. 10 batter Josh Little resisted with an unbeaten 22 off 18 balls that gave Ireland some hope on a testing wicket.
Pakistan batters’ long struggle in the tournament continued when opener Saim Ayub (17) was brilliantly caught behind by Tucker after attempting a reckless shot against Mark Adair in the fifth over. Adair then pulled off a stunning catch on the edge of the boundary to end Mohammad Rizwan's run-a-ball knock of 17.
Campher and McCarthy ignited a middle-order collapse with Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan and Wasim all going for extravagant shots before Pakistan managed to squeeze out a win.
At Kingstown, Saint Vincent, Nepal won the coin toss and chose to bowl first in its final Group D match against Bangladesh.
Nepal are looking to respond from their heartbreaking one-run loss to South Africa in its last outing, while Bangladesh are seeking a win that will take them through to the Super Eight.
“It was disappointing for us. (But) as proferssional cricketers you need to come back from that,” Nepal captain Rohit Paudel said of the loss to South Africa on Friday.
Bangladesh named an unchanged lineup from its 25-run victory against the Netherlands.
The Netherlands play Sri Lanka at Saint Lucia later Monday.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Ireland's Gareth Delany bats during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi, center, without a cap, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Ireland's Lorcan Tucker during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrates the wicket of Ireland's Andrew Balbirnie during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Ireland's Gareth Delany jumps to stop unsuccessfully a six by Pakistan's Abbas Afridi during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Pakistan's Abbas Afridi, right, moves to touch gloves with captain Babar Azam as they bat during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Ireland's Barry McCarthy, center, celebrates the wicket of Pakistan's Shadab Khan during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Ireland's captain Paul Stirling, left, congratulates Pakistan's captain Babar Azam after Pakistan won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match against Ireland at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi plays a shot during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrates the wicket of Ireland's Andrew Balbirnie during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Pakistan's captain Babar Azam signs a small bat before the beginning of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Pakistan's captain Babar Azam waits for the coin toss before the beginning of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match between Ireland and Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Lauderhill, Fla., Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
