KANSAS CITY -- Standing in the Guardians’ dugout at Kauffman Stadium on Saturday, Tanner Bibee took an opportunity to set the record straight. No, he did not fall ill this week and miss Opening Day from eating Chipotle.
“I didn't even eat Chipotle,” Bibee said. “I think the last time I ate Chipotle was the day before my last Spring Training start.”
Bibee’s condition has improved from where he was earlier in the week, and he’s set to make his season debut in Sunday’s series finale against the Royals. The right-hander was initially slated to make his first career Opening Day start on Thursday, before he was scratched about four hours before first pitch due to acute gastroenteritis.
Some on social media speculated that Chipotle was a potential culprit behind Bibee’s scratch; he once said he often eats it the day before pitching. He put that to rest on Saturday and with a post on X on Thursday night.
Bibee fell sick on Wednesday, but was hopeful of finding his way to the mound. The Guardians also held out hope that he could take the ball on Thursday before ultimately scratching him.
“??It was a tough 48 hours, just because of the sickness,” Bibee said. “And then that whole day, not going through your pregame routine, it was in the back of my mind, for sure. But when [Opening Day] came, it was like, ‘All right, let’s figure it out. Let's go out there and let’s throw up some zeros.’”
Bibee’s condition had improved by Thursday, though he acknowledged he was “still a little queasy.” He felt good on Friday and Saturday, setting him up for Sunday’s start.
“Tanner had a good day [Friday],” manager Stephen Vogt said. “[He] got off the mound. All signs are pointing toward him being ready for [Sunday].”
Bibee getting scratched didn’t change the fact that he earned the Guardians’ Opening Day starter nod or the recognition behind it. He’s emerged as a leading arm on Cleveland’s staff, and the Guardians will count on him to be an ace this season.
The disappointment that he felt in missing that game, as unfortunate as the situation was, is also understandable, and it could be a potential source of motivation for him.
“Saying you earned it, you don't get to reap the benefits, which kind of sucks,” Bibee said. “I feel like going into [Sunday] with a little anger, I think is probably going to be pretty realistic and [I’m] trying to harness that to what I'm doing.”