The Cleveland Indians are getting the night off Wednesday thanks to the terrible winter weather in Northeast Ohio.
Snow fell overnight and more came down throughout the day.
Thus, the planned pitching matchups have been shifted around for the weekend series against the New York Yankees.
The series gets underway Thursday with Aaron Civale squaring off against Domingo German.
But Saturday’s matchup is the one that will have MLB fans watching.
Saturday, 6:10 p.m. ET at Progressive Field:
Shane Bieber vs. Gerrit Cole
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) April 21, 2021
Shane Bieber versus Gerrit Cole is going to be appointment viewing for anyone who loves the game.
Two Aces Set for a Showdown
This is a matchup usually reserved for the postseason.
That is exactly what happened last September in the first round of the expanded MLB postseason.
Bieber took the mound for the Indians at home, while Cole was on the mound for the Yankees.
Bieber got rocked to the tune of seven earned runs in 4.2 innings.
Cole had 13 strikeouts in seven innings as the Yankees cruised to a blowout victory.
But Bieber still won the American League Cy Young Award last year and appears to have gotten even better during the offseason.
He will also be going up against a Yankees offense that is struggling to score runs early in 2021.
The problem is that Cole is also taking on a struggling offense.
A big day for either offense Saturday would be a shock and could end up being a huge motivator.
That is, if either side can in fact break through.
Early Award Season Preview
Shane Bieber, White Castle Special. 🍔🍔🍔🤮 pic.twitter.com/3BHOAVaCxJ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 7, 2021
Bieber and Cole are the top betting favorites for the AL Cy Young Award and the former has the upper hand so far.
One other pitcher to keep an eye on is Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow, but he is still a distant third.
Bieber leads the entire league with 48 strikeouts and 29.1 innings pitched.
His ERA is higher than Cole’s, for now, but the strikeout numbers prove it is a nearly impossible task to get a hit off Bieber.
This is the type of matchup fans dream about and it is cool to see both teams match up their aces against one another.
What is the best way to combat Cole?
Throw your own ace out there and make it a duel.
The Yankees will head to Cleveland looking to get their season back on track.
The Bronx Bombers enter Wednesday with a 6-10 record and a game against the Atlanta Braves.
A loss and a bad series in Cleveland could lead to true panic in New York.
Would they go as far to fire Aaron Boone?
Crazier things have happened and it sure would be nice to see the Indians get some revenge after last season’s tough playoff exit.
Having fans in the park again should make this series the highlight of the young season.
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