MLB All-Star Game 2019: Score, Highlights and Comments from MVP

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber went from All-Star Game injury replacement to Most Valuable Player in a span of five days. 

Bieber took the spot of Texas' Mike Minor on the American League roster and was called upon to pitch the fifth inning in Tuesday's game by AL manager Alex Cora. 

The right-handed pitcher struck out the side in front of his home crowd at Progressive Field, and because of his efforts on the mound, he won MVP in the 4-3 AL victory. The victory extended the AL's winning streak to seven games. 

Bieber struck out Willson Contreras, Ketel Marte and Ronald Acuna Jr. to preserve the one-run AL lead at the time. 

The second-year hurler said after the game that he was a bit stunned to win MVP and that the home crowd helped him get through his one-inning outing, per Ohio.com's Marla Ridenour. 

"I really didn't know what to think. Kind of lost all feeling in my body," Bieber said. "Just to be able to do it in front of the home crowd was extremely special to me. And they definitely helped me tonight."

During his 1-2-3 inning, Bieber tried to pound the strike zone while not giving the bottom of the National League order much to hit, per ESPN.com's David Schoenfield. 

"I couldn't really feel my body that much because, like I said, the electricity and the atmosphere we had going, but also you didn't want to leave a cookie over the plate because these guys are so good, and they will take advantage of it," Bieber said. "Really just tried to fill up the zone as much as I could and go out there and get three outs. That was the main agenda."

As the Indians' official Twitter account noted, Bieber started the year as the team's fifth starter, and The Athletic's Zack Meisel provided more context about how remarkable the 24-year-old's story is:  

Although he was a replacement on the AL roster, Bieber was more than deserving of an initial All-Star nod, as he is 8-3 with a 3.45 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 141 strikeouts. 

Bieber was able to pitch with the lead thanks to an RBI double off the bat of Houston outfielder Michael Brantley, who used to play in Cleveland, in the bottom of the second. 

The AL did not score again until the fifth, when Minnesota's Jorge Polanco plated Gary Sanchez of the New York Yankees on a hard-hit ball to second base. 

Colorado's Charlie Blackmon got the National League on the board in the sixth with a solo home run to center during the part of the game in which the reserves began to take their places on the field. 

A home run by an AL reserve in the seventh padded the advantage, as Texas' Joey Gallo sent a solo shot to right after Oakland's Matt Chapman crossed the plate on a double play. 

The insurance run provided by Gallo turned out to be the difference-maker on the scoreboard since the NL plated two runs in the eighth on an RBI single from Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. 

Even though some stars found themselves in the spotlight for a brief moment, Tuesday night belonged to Cleveland.

The most memorable moment of the night came during the Stand Up to Cancer ceremony, when Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, joined his All-Star teammates on the field. 

Former Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia, who now plays for the Yankees, received a standing ovation in the ninth inning when he came out for a quick visit to talk to teammate Aroldis Chapman. He earned a loud round of applause from the Progressive Field faithful. 

Chapman, Bieber and Oakland's Liam Hendriks all struck out the side in their inning of work for the AL, but it was the hometown player who took home the biggest individual honor of the night. 

Bieber became the third player in All-Star Game history to win MVP in his home stadium. He became the second Cleveland star to earn the honor, as Sandy Alomar Jr. achieved the feat in 1997. Boston's Pedro Martinez in 1999 was the other. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from MLB.com