Sunday, May 10

Welcome back to the Guardians Beat newsletter. My name is Tim Stebbins, and this is my second season covering Cleveland for MLB.com.

CLEVELAND -- On April 26, after Travis Bazzana got word he was being promoted to the big leagues, he took a walk outside to process things. After some time to himself, the first person he contacted to share the big news was his mom, Jenny.

“She just had happy emotions, crying tears,” Bazzana said of that FaceTime call. “It was really exciting. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to pack.’ She was very excited.”

Bazzana’s mom was among the many loved ones who made it to Progressive Field for his April 28 big league debut, which was the culmination of his journey from growing up in Australia to making it to The Show. It’s one in which Jenny played what Bazzana called a “massive” role.

Bazzana noted Jenny played sports growing up, including soccer and tennis, and was pretty good at the latter. Bazzana was also athletically inclined as a kid, playing baseball, cricket, rugby and soccer. From a young age, sports were a vehicle for him and his mom to bond.

“When I was so young, she would take every opportunity to flip me balls, or put balls on the tee or bowl me cricket balls with cricket practice. Everything,” Bazzana said. “In the backyard, soccer, rugby, she was always willing. I really wanted to play sports, and she was always able to facilitate that and drive me places and sign me up for things. She was amazing.”

Baseball is not a primary sport in Australia, but Jenny and Bazzana’s dad, Gary, supported his passion for the game and his pursuit of playing it at a high level. Bazzana’s story took him to the U.S. as he played collegiately at Oregon State, and his parents took a two- or three-week trip each season to watch him play. 

In 2024, Bazzana’s parents visited the U.S. late in the season to be with him during the MLB Draft -- when the Guardians selected him first overall. From Bazzana’s college days to his progression from High-A to the Majors, and the highs and lows that have organically come with it, Jenny has constantly been in Bazzana's corner supporting him.

“My mom will always stick by me, good or bad,” Bazzana said. “She'll talk to me when I'm doing bad and be like, ‘You're all good, you're gonna get them tomorrow,’ kind of thing. And when I'm doing good, she's obviously one of my biggest supporters. We would have conversations and talk through the good and the bad, and she'd always help me keep my head up.”

Jenny and Bazzana’s other loved ones sat on the first-base side of Progressive Field during his MLB debut. They had a perfect vantage point as Bazzana patrolled second base for the first time in the Majors. That also meant he had a great perspective of his mom and everyone who helped him get to this point.

“It was really cool to look up there, obviously see a crowd in a massive stadium,” Bazzana said, “and then be able to pinpoint them and see them just cheering and obviously enjoying their time. It was super special and I won’t forget it.”

Tanner Bibee entered Saturday with a 3.12 ERA at Progressive Field, which ranked second among Cleveland pitchers through their first 46 career starts at the ballpark. Who ranked first?

A. Justin Masterson
B. Charles Nagy

C. Corey Kluber
D. CC Sabathia

• Bazzana strives to always “play with fire” and bring a ton of energy and passion to the diamond. We saw that on multiple occasions during Friday’s win over the Twins. Read more >>

• The Guardians shook up their catching room with a stunning trade to acquire Patrick Bailey from the Giants. Here’s why they pulled that lever. Read more >>

• Franco Aleman updated his cell phone screensaver on Friday to serve as an important reminder as he prepared for his first foray in the big leagues. Read more >>

C. Corey Kluber

Kluber logged a 3.02 ERA through his first 46 starts at Progressive Field. Masterson ranks third (3.15), Nagy ranks fourth (3.51) and Sabathia ranks seventh (3.71)

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