CLEVELAND — Taking on the New York Yankees Saturday evening, Tribe ace Shane Bieber found himself making history once again—this time tying Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson's record for most consecutive starts with eight or more strikeouts.
Bieber has fanned at least eight batters in his last 17 games, including Saturday's contest, tying Johnson's record set in 1999-2000.
Saturday's record-tying performance wasn't the first time this season the 2020 Cy Young Award winner found his name in the record books.
On April 18 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 also 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 Johnson did so in 1996.
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.
