Bibee dazzles, Brennan walks it off with homer to sweep Twins

CLEVELAND -- Tanner Bibee stood on the mound on Sunday and watched his manager emerge from the dugout after he issued a four-pitch walk to put runners on first and second with two outs in the seventh inning.

Second baseman Andrés Giménez and first baseman Josh Naylor hustled to the mound to say good job before Guards manager Stephen Vogt pulled Bibee from the game. It made sense. Bibee had been stellar up to that point, allowing just one run (a homer) on four hits with seven strikeouts. He had thrown 90 pitches and Cade Smith was ready to go in the 'pen. That's what made Vogt's real reason to trek to the mound so surprising.

"He gets out there and he goes, 'You're not leaving this mound,'" Bibee said. "I was kind of shocked at first and then I kind of locked it back in."

This was the moment Bibee had been waiting for, and his skipper knew he could handle it. At the time, the Guardians owned a one-run lead. They'd eventually blow that lead in the ninth inning on two miscues before Will Brennan's walk-off homer handed the Guardians a 5-2 victory over the Twins at Progressive Field. But at that moment, the game was on the line for Bibee. And if he hadn't executed, maybe the ending would've played out differently for Cleveland.

"It felt like it was the moment [to take him out]," Vogt said. "It was like, you know what? Let's go challenge him. Let's see if he can step up."

Vogt took a stroll to the mound. Bibee's frustration that he didn't get out of the inning turned to adrenaline after Vogt spoke to him before returning to the dugout without signaling to the bullpen.

oment, the game was on the line for Bibee. And if he hadn't executed, maybe the ending would've played out differently for Cleveland.

"It felt like it was the moment [to take him out]," Vogt said. "It was like, you know what? Let's go challenge him. Let's see if he can step up."

Vogt took a stroll to the mound. Bibee's frustration that he didn't get out of the inning turned to adrenaline after Vogt spoke to him before returning to the dugout without signaling to the bullpen.

"He says, 'You're gonna strike this blank out,'" Bibee said with a grin. "And I said, 'Alright. Let's do it."

Bibee walked behind the mound to regroup as Carlos Santana came to the plate. He toed the rubber and dealt an 89.7 mph slider inside. Ball one. He came back with a 96.8 mph heater that caught the inside corner. Called strike. Santana then swung through another slider and Bibee went back to the same pitch that Santana laid off. The count was 2-2 and Bibee was ready to go back to the four-seamer. He gave it everything he had and fired a 96.9 mph fastball that was called for strike three on the inside corner.

"I really appreciate him letting me stay out there and finish that," Bibee said. "I really do believe that was my game. I'm happy I executed that last pitch."

Bibee hooked his arms below his waist, clenching them in a Hulk-like pose as he let out a loud roar. He took three giant, wide-legged steps before throwing his arms in the air, signaling for the crowd to match his energy as he headed toward the dugout.

"I blacked out," Bibee said with a laugh.

It was almost as if all the pent-up emotion Bibee had been bottling from his slow start to the season poured out of him. The bar was set high for the reigning AL Rookie of the Year runner-up, but he hadn't quite looked like himself before Sunday. Then, it all clicked.

It was clear from the start that Bibee was ready to shift into another gear, as his fastball touched 97 mph in the first inning.

"[Outfield coach JT Maguire] was like, 'Something's different about [Bibee] today,'" Guardians center fielder Tyler Freeman said. "His ball's explosive. His slider was sliding even more."

Bibee's heater averaged 1.6 mph faster than it has all season (96 mph instead of 94.4). His full arsenal was effective, as his eight strikeouts came on three sliders, three changeups and two fastballs. And it was just the second time this year that Bibee completed at least six innings.

"His stuff was really up today," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "It almost looked like he made the decision, 'I'm not going to get beat throwing a fastball in the zone to these guys.'"

Bibee didn't, especially when his team needed him the most, just as Vogt expected when he walked to the mound.

"Tanner has taken great strides," Vogt said. "Up and down start, but has been really sharp. And he threw a great game today. So, I wanted to challenge him, give him an opportunity and he answered. It was awesome."