The Cleveland Guardians have had some really good starting pitchers over the last few years.
Corey Kluber (who announced his retirement on Friday), Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber, and Triston McKenzie are just some of the biggest names, but there are more.
The 2023 version of Bieber had diminished velocity and, therefore, fewer strikeouts than usual.
However, at his peak from 2019 to 2022, the right-hander was a strikeout machine.
No one else in the league fanned hitters at such a high rate during that period.
In fact, he was as consistent as they come, and logged an MLB-record 20 straight games with at least eight strikeouts.
“Most consecutive MLB games pitched, 8+ strikeouts: 20: Shane Bieber, 19, 18, 17: Randy Johnson, 16: Pedro Martínez, 15: Randy Johnson, 14: Randy Johnson, Corey Kluber, 13, 12: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Spencer Strider,” Codify Baseball tweeted.
Most consecutive MLB games pitched, 8+ strikeouts:
20 Shane Bieber 😮
19
18
17 Randy Johnson
16 Pedro Martínez
15 Randy Johnson
14 Randy Johnson, Corey Kluber
13
12 Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Spencer Strider pic.twitter.com/WD0PjroJFY— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) February 6, 2024
Those are some really impressive names when it comes to bat-missing ability: there are some Hall of Famers right there.
Bieber’s streak trumps all of those, though.
He logged his 18th straight start with at least eight punchouts in May 2021 against the Chicago White Sox, and with that game, surpassed Johnson’s streak of 17 such games.
He went on to pitch two more games and his record reached 20 starts.
Likely because of a forearm injury, Bieber declined a bit in 2023, with a 3.80 ERA and “just” 107 strikeouts in 128 innings.
That’s probably why the organization is willing to trade him for the right return.
Still, he is so good, calm, and composed on the mound that even a slightly diminished version of Bieber can be a solid mid-rotation option on a championship-caliber team.
NEXT: Fans React To Today's Corey Kluber News
