Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee was scratched from his Opening Day start on Thursday due to an illness, but he insists his favorite restaurant is not to blame.
Bibee was scheduled to pitch against the Kansas City Royals in what would have been his first career Opening Day start. He was scratched hours before the game due to food poisoning.
This quickly became an issue for Chipotle Mexican Grill. Why? Because Bibee revealed in an interview with the “Just Baseball Show” podcast last year that he has a superstition where he has to eat a meal from Chipotle before every one of his starts.
Tanner Bibee: “every day I throw I have to eat Chipotle”
— McNeil (@Reflog_18) March 27, 2025
Damn you @ChipotleTweets pic.twitter.com/tvmAx1poqV
Fans who remembered the interview jumped to the conclusion that Bibee must have gotten sick on Thursday from eating his usual pregame meal from Chipotle. The right-hander says that is not true.
Bibee took to social media on Thursday night to defend Chipotle. He said he was sick before he would have even thought about placing his usual game day Chipotle order.
“Stop talking about @ChipotleTweets like that! Sick before i could even think about a bowl!” Bibee wrote on X.
Stop talking about @ChipotleTweets like that! Sick before i could even think about a bowl!
— Tanner Bibee (@IssaBibe) March 28, 2025
Chipotle has a strong reputation among pro athletes. We know at least one NBA player who eats it even more often than Bibee.
Bibee went 12-8 with a 3.47 ERA in 31 starts last season. The Guardians are counting on him to be their ace this year. Assuming Bibee is telling the truth about Thursday, it sounds like Chipotle will remain a trusted part of his routine.
