Tuesday night’s game between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox did not feel like a regular season matchup.
Shane Bieber and Lucas Giolito throwing absolute gems helped accomplish that feat.
Baseball is best when there is tension and drama within a game.
A 0-0 duel between aces had fans just waiting for one team to break through.
The Indians were able to do that in the top of the 10th inning and give Bieber his first win of the season.
From a broader standpoint, the tight game made it clear this yearly series is going to be intense from April through September.
If you missed Shane Bieber's start last night, you missed a masterful performance … Seriously.
Watch Shane spin it below.#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/IAucnPSlQm
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) April 14, 2021
Playoff Energy in April
Just look at how the first two games of the series have gone.
The first involved a fluke error by Yu Chang to give the White Sox the win Monday.
How did the Indians rebound?
By Bieber continuing his historic start and throwing nine scoreless innings to set up his team with a chance to win.
Having fans back in the stands is making a huge difference as well.
It is easy to think limited attendance creates a lackluster environment.
But nearly 10,000 people all making noise at the same time is still a great atmosphere.
You could hear it through the television Tuesday night whenever Giolito made a big pitch.
And to be honest it is nice just to have any fans back in the ballpark making noise.
Using artificial noise in 2020 was just weird, even if it was necessary.
A Competitive Season Series
The American League Central is supposed to be a three-team race between the Indians, White Sox, and Minnesota Twins.
But it is still too early to assume the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers can’t put up good fights as well.
The Twins still remain the favorites and whoever gets the upper hand in the Indians-White Sox showdown this season will have the best shot to take down Minnesota.
So far we are only through two of the 19 games in this divisional matchup.
The Indians have also not even seen the Twins yet.
That could end up being another season-long series filled with drama and flat-out exciting baseball.
Seeking the Upper Hand
Indians lineup for Game 3 in Chicago: pic.twitter.com/s6al3bEne3
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) April 14, 2021
The Indians and White Sox still have two more games to play in this series.
Wednesday night has the potential to be low-scoring once again and not just because the Indians offense is taking part.
Zach Plesac is squaring off against Carlos Rodon.
The latter has had his struggles in recent years, but did look solid in his first start of the year.
Tuesday provided one of the most exciting Indians games in several years.
Let’s hope Wednesday feels the same with a similar final result.
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