When a pitcher is as good as Cleveland Guardians’ ace Shane Bieber, finding success against him is rare and challenging.
Said pitcher will more often than not figure out a way to keep the opposition from having any success against him.
But even somebody like Bieber has their weak spots, and there are certain players who can easily get dialed in against the pitcher.
In Bieber’s case, it was Los Angeles Angels right-fielder and leadoff man Taylor Ward.
Ward managed to muster up a two-homer game, becoming just the third player in baseball to have hit two homers off of Bieber, joining Yoan Moncada and Josh Donaldson, both of whom did it back in 2019.
Players with 2 HR in a game off Shane Bieber:
Taylor Ward, Tonight
Yoán Moncada, 5/13/19
Josh Donaldson, 4/21/19— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 26, 2022
A Rare Feat
Ward may not be a household name, but sometimes you just have a little luck against somebody, even if it’s one of the best in the business.
Ward cranked one to right center field for his first home run that put the Angels ahead 1-0.
The call had to be confirmed, as it looked as if Myles Straw had brought it down, but it was ultimately ruled a home run as it had hit the sign beyond the yellow line on the outfield wall, which is considered home run territory.
In the bottom of the seventh, Ward crushed another one, this time out to left center for a two-run blast that made it a 3-0 game and knocked Bieber out of the game.
Ward had accomplished a rare feat and found his stroke against one of the best pitchers in the game today.
His two home runs were enough to give starter Michael Lorenzen the win as the Angels held on and won.
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