Shane Bieber's dream dinner guest? Bob Marley

Guardians ace and his wife, Kara, sit down with MLB.com

May 26th, 2023
Photos by Mary De Cicco; art by Rhys Knight

You may know as a Cy Young winner, a Cleveland Guardians ace, one of the best pitchers in baseball. But did you also know he's a giant reggae fan?

We recently sat down with Shane and his wife/clothing designer Kara, to see what their life was like off the field.

What are some things you keep on your bedside table?

Shane: Magnesium spray.

Kara: Yeah, we'll take that everywhere. It's called Cymbiotika. You put it on your feet before bed.

Shane: Puts you to sleep. Keeps you asleep. That's the main thing, then phone charger, alarm clock, lotion.

What are your top Spotify songs on repeat?

Shane: Across the Room, by Odesza (Yung Heat Remix)

What are you doing on a long flight or flight delay?

Shane: Trying to read, I don't sleep very much. She's a sleeper. She's got the talent. I'll listen to music, I'll probably end up watching a TV show.

Kara: I can knock out anywhere.

Shane, who is your celebrity doppelgänger?

Shane: I've gotten John Krasinski a lot. Maybe not "The Office," maybe more "Jack Ryan" John Krasinski.

Kara: I haven't really thought about it. I haven't tried to think of who you look like.

Shane: Ryan Reynolds? Ryan Gosling?

Kara: I mean, we can say that if you like that.

You're having a dinner party and you can invite three people -- dead or alive -- who are you inviting?

Shane: Ohh. Jürgen Klopp, the boss of Liverpool F.C, Bob Marley and, man, there are so many. Denzel Washington.

You guys are big reggae fans? (Shane's walkout song is "Attention Span" by Rebelution)

Shane: Definitely. I got a pretty good reggae playlist. I guess we listen to a lot of different kinds of music. ... One of my reggae playlists I worked on all throughout college is often played in the batting cages.

Shane, do you have a secret talent?

Kara: Packing. Back of the truck.

Shane: That's what she likes to say so I can pack for her.

Kara: Literally, he'll see 20 suitcases for the back of a truck and he'll sit out there until he figures it out. I don't know, it's like a weird hidden skill. There's no chance any of it is ever gonna fit and he's out there like, jigsawing, putting things in place.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in Cleveland?

Shane: Umm, babe, what would you say is our favorite restaurant in Cleveland?

Kara: Juneberry and Serita. Juneberry for brunch and Serita for dinner.

Shane: Yes, Juneberry and Serita.

What was your welcome to the big leagues moment?

Shane: There's a few. One of my favorite ones was that I started my hitting career going 1-for-2. I had a double and a nice little popup slide. I was feeling myself.

And then the next start, I was hitting against the Reds and the first pitch of my first at-bat was a nasty slider. I stepped out and I was like, "What was that?" I didn't expect a slider first pitch. And then [Reds catcher] Tucker Barnhart said something along the lines of, "Oh, you didn't like that?" I said, "Yeah, I didn't expect it." He said, "Buddy, you got a higher OPS than José Ramírez right now, what do you think we're gonna start you off with?" That obviously made me smile and I ended up striking out.