CINCINNATI — Tribe ace and 2020 Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber has broken another Major League Baseball record, proving just how talented he truly is.
On Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds, Bieber posted 10 strikeouts in the first seven innings, making him the first pitcher to ever strike out at least 10 batters in his first four starts of a season.
Bieber recently joined the record books for another pitching accomplishment this season. In his Opening Day start, Bieber recorded 12 strikeouts in the first six innings on the mound, marking his second Opening Day start with 12 or more strikeouts. Bieber threw 14 strikeouts in his Opening Day start back in 2020, becoming the first pitcher to fan that many in a season opener since Randy Johnson in 1996.
With his second Opening Day start notching 12 or more strikeouts, Bieber joined Johnson, Nolan Ryan and Bob Gibson as the only pitchers in MLB history to have two Opening Day starts with 12 or more strikeouts.
Ryan, Johnson and Gibson are all first-ballot Hall-of-Famers, placing Bieber in some elite company.
On Sunday, Bieber also tied Pedro Martínez for the second longest streak of consecutive games with at least eight strikeouts. Bieber has posted eight Ks in 16 consecutive games, tying Martínez and just trailing Randy Johnson's record of 17 consecutive games with at least eight strikeouts.
RELATED: Bieber just fourth pitcher in history with two Opening Day starts with over 12 strikeouts
Camryn Justice is a digital content producer at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Twitter @camijustice.
