Former UCSB star Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians struck out the side in the fifth inning in the 90th All-Star Game and was named the winner of the Ted Williams MVP Award on Tuesday night in Cleveland.
Bieber’s American League team beat the National League, 4-3, at Progressive Stadium. It was the seventh straight victory for the AL.
“It’s an incredible feeling now, now that it’s kind of sinking in,” Bieber told the media. “Just to be able to do it in front of the home crowd and my first All-Star Game is definitely not something I expected, especially being added to the game four or five days ago.”
Bieber, a member of UCSB’s first team to play in the College World Series in 2016, is the second Cleveland Indians to be named All-Star Game MVP, following Sandy Alomar Jr., in 1997. He also is the first pitcher of a host team to win the award since Pedro Martinez for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in 1999.
Bieber struck out the Cubs’ Willson Contreras looking, Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks swinging and the Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. looking.
Shane Bieber.
That’s it.
That’s the tweet.#AllStarGame | #RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/HAR8FjeYc6
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 10, 2019
“Kind of stepped off the back of the mound after one of the pitches and wasn’t totally able to look up and see everything, just because there was so much going on, but I heard everything and really soaked it all in,” he said of the electricity in the stadium. “You know, I can’t really thank the fans enough for creating that moment for me and making it really special.”
Said AL manager Alex Cora: “It was electric out there. “The fans got in it and it was fun. And I’m glad that he got the MVP. He plays at this level. He’s really good.”
Bieber, 24, is only in his second year in the big leagues.
Cleveland manager, Terry Francona threw his hands above his head in the dugout, celebrating the success of his young starter. When Bieber reached the dugout, Indians’ teammate Francisco Lindor met him at the top step.
“It was incredible,” Bieber said. “[Lindor] said, ‘Congrats, proud of you.’ … Getting that reception from the dugout, and those guys and those names was extremely special.”
Another local player who contributed in the AL’s victory was Dos Pueblos High alum James McCann, a catcher for the Chicago White Sox. He had a single in the seventh inning.
Jeff McNeil of the New York Mets, who grew up in Santa Barbara before moving to Nipomo, was on the National League All-Star team and went 0-for-1 in his only plate appearance.
— Noozhawk Sports Editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.