Cleveland Indians’ Shane Bieber Unanimously Wins American League Cy Young Award

Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber was the unanimous winner of the AL Cy Young award on Wednesday, capping an impressive rise from the right-hander to his status as one of the game’s top pitchers.

Using a versatile repertoire that includes a looping curve and wipeout slider, Bieber went 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 77 innings during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, leading the majors in ERA and strikeouts, and tying Yu Darvish for most wins.

Bieber became the second player in franchise history to win the AL Triple Crown pitch, joining Hall of Famer Bob Feller in 1940. He was the first pitcher to lead majors in all three categories since Johan Santana for the Minnesota in 2006.

Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda was second in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America poll, followed by Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu.

It was the 10th time that an AL pitcher was a unanimous choice for the price. Bieber is the league’s first unanimous winner since Justin Verlander for the Detroit Tigers in 2011.

Bieber, 25, was selected by Cleveland in the fourth round of the 2016 entry draft. He made his major league debut in 2018 and went 11-5 with a 4.55 ERA. He really started showing his potential last year, winning the MVP award at the All-Star Game and finishing with 15 wins and a 3.28 ERA.

“I was a little late in high school so I felt like I had to learn to present and let my things come to me,” Bieber said last week when he was announced as a Cy Young finalist. . “Working hard, continuing to develop in the second half of high school and going to college, I was able to add speed and sharpen my game.

“But in terms of development, I wouldn’t trade my process for anything. It felt like my first few years of learning to throw, change gears and locate the ball paid off in the long run.

Bieber gives Cleveland its fifth Cy Young award since CC Sabathia won in 2007. Cliff Lee won in 2008, and Corey Kluber won the honor in 2014 and 2017. Gaylord Perry in 1972 is the only other Cy Young winner for Indians.