UCSB alum Shane Bieber made baseball history with a 13-strikeout performance in the Cleveland Indians’ 6-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday.
Bieber became the first pitcher in big league history to begin the season with four straight starts with at least 10 strikeouts since the mound was moved to its current distance back in 1893.
“That’s why you call guys aces. And he certainly has lived up to that,” Indians manager Terry Francona told ESPN. “He’s really accountable for what he needs to do.”
The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner has 48 strikeouts this year, matching Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan for the most through the first four starts of a season. Bieber has fanned at least eight in 16 straight starts, one short of Randy Johnson’s major league mark.
“He’s the complete package as a pitcher,” Reds manager David Bell told reporters. “He has it all. He deserves all the credit today. We got a few runs off him, but not enough.”
Bieber went eight innings, allowing three runs and six hits with two walks.
“I felt a little slow, a little sluggish at the beginning of the game but was able to get through it and kind of get on a roll there at the end,” Bieber said.
—Story includes information from ESPN News.