Shane Bieber still remembers a tap on his back. Angels outfielder Mike Trout had a simple question:

“Are you going to go with the car or truck?”

“I didn't know what he was talking about,” Bieber recalled with a grin. “He was like, ‘MVP, kid!’ And so then I kind of freaked out.”

• MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard: Tuesday on FOX

The All-Star Game MVP Award hadn’t even crossed Bieber’s mind after he put on one a highly memorable performance in the Midsummer Classic. Just two years ago, Bieber had yet to put himself on the map. It was clear to those in Cleveland what the right-hander could become, but he had yet to catch the attention of the national eye.

That changed on July 9, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Bieber had been the rock of the Indians’ rotation after Mike Clevinger, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco were sidelined with different ailments for extended periods. But Bieber wasn’t supposed to be an All-Star. The rosters were set and the big game was just four days away.

Bieber had no idea he was on the list to possibly be a late addition to the roster to replace an injured player until Indians manager Terry Francona surprised him with the news the Friday before the game.

“It was completely unexpected,” Bieber said, “but quite enjoyable.”

When he walks into this year’s American League clubhouse alongside teammate José Ramírez, Bieber will have a better idea of what to expect. But two short years ago, Bieber was a small fish in a big pond, and he was completely overwhelmed.

“It’s kind of a funny feeling because at that point in ’19, it was our own clubhouse,” Bieber said. “So I’m at my own locker with all my stuff, nothing was moved, but you get some unfamiliar faces. … They were a lot more comfortable in that setting and that scene and that All-Star type of feel. So it was a little bit unnerving.”

Bieber couldn’t wait to meet players like Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and Trout, as he tried to not feel too awkwardly out of place in a room full of established stars. Little did he know how he was going to prove his worth just hours later.

Bieber knew the plan: He was going to pitch the fifth inning, following Lucas Giolito. The Indians’ rising star jogged in from the bullpen, ready to face Willson Contreras, Ketel Marte and Ronald Acuña Jr. He struck Contreras out on a 2-2 fastball and then fanned Marte with an 83.9 mph curve.

Suddenly, Bieber realized the moment he was in.

Bieber was in front of his home crowd, as the entire ballpark was chanting his name. He knew he was in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and he allowed himself to take a brief second to soak it in.

“I’m thankful that I had the foresight to realize that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience being at the home stadium with the stage kind of set and the opportunity is given,” Bieber said. “I feel like I could’ve relished in that moment a little bit more, but you’re always going to say that, right?”

From there, it all happened so fast.

Bieber rang up Acuña on an 85.5 mph slider over the heart of the plate and walked off the field confidently with his head toward the ground. Francona couldn’t help but celebrate like a proud dad in the dugout. Bieber tried to quickly find his parents, who were in tears, in the crowd, but there were too many fans to decipher who was who. He remembers his then-teammate Francisco Lindor meeting him at the top of the dugout before he went to his locker to text his family.

That’s when Trout put the idea of becoming the MVP in his head.

Trout knew what it took to win the honor, as he took home the hardware in 2014 and ’15. Before Bieber, only seven of the 58 previous winners were pitchers. So it wasn’t until a short chat with Trout that Bieber realized it was a possibility. And soon after, it became his reality.

On Friday, the two-year anniversary of the special moment, Bieber was getting tagged in posts on social media of videos of his inning and pictures of him holding the trophy high above his head, which made it hard for him not to hear the Bieber chants in his head once again.

When he found out he was an All-Star in 2021, despite currently being sidelined with a right shoulder strain, he reflected on the ’19 All-Star Game and everything that’s happened in between. Since then, he has become the ace of the Indians’ rotation, a Cy Young Award winner and an MLB pitching Triple Crown winner. The All-Star Game MVP was the first in a string of achievements, but it’s one he’ll never forget.

“[The trophy] is at home out in Arizona, hanging proudly,” Bieber said. “That was a little bit heavier than I expected. Everyone says, ‘Why did they give you a bat when you’re a pitcher?’ But I guess the pitcher doesn’t win too often, and that is a special, special honor. So I hoist it proudly.”

As for Trout’s question? Bieber took home a truck.