Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber was the unanimous winner of the AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday, covering an amazing ascent by the right-hander to his status as one of the game’s best pitchers.
Utilizing an adaptable collection that incorporates a circling curve and a crash slider, Bieber went 8-1 with a 1.63 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 77⅓ innings during the pandemic-abbreviated 2020 season, driving the majors in ERA and strikeouts and tying Yu Darvish for the most successes.
Bieber turned into the second part in establishment history to win the AL pitching Triple Crown, joining Hall of Famer Bob Feller in 1940. He was the main pitcher to lead the majors in every one of the three classifications since Johan Santana for Minnesota in 2006.
Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda completed second in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, trailed by Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu.
Bieber was the principal consistent American League champ since Justin Verlander for the Detroit Tigers in 2011. It was the tenth time that an AL pitcher was recorded first on each polling form.
“Today’s a good day regardless,” Bieber said. “It just makes it that much better that we were able to take this thing home and that it was unanimous.”
The 25-year-old Bieber, a previous stroll on at UC Santa Barbara, was chosen by Cleveland in the fourth round of the 2016 beginner draft. He made his significant group debut in 2018 and went 11-5 with a 4.55 ERA. He truly began to flaunt his possible a year ago, winning the MVP grant at the All-Star Game and getting done with 15 successes and a 3.28 ERA.
Before this season began, Bieber got a content from previous Indians colleague Trevor Bauer, who was exchanged to the Cincinnati Reds a year ago. The right-handers had similar Las Vegas chances for the Cy Young Award.
“I said … why don’t we go 2-for-2, or something like that?” Bieber said.
Bauer on Wednesday turned into the principal pitcher to bring home the NL honor for the Reds, the majors’ most seasoned establishment.
AL Cy Young Award voting
Votes had seven points for first place, four points for second place, three points for third place, two votes for fourth place and one point for fifth place.
| PITCHER | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | 5TH | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Bieber, Indians | 30 | — | — | — | — | 210 |
| Kenta Maeda, Twins | — | 18 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 92 |
| Hyun-Jin Ryu, Blue Jays | — | 4 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 51 |
| Gerrit Cole, Yankees | — | 2 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 50 |
| Dallas Keuchel, White Sox | — | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 46 |
| Lance Lynn, Rangers | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 22 |
| Lucas Giolito, White Sox | — | — | 3 | 2 | 5 | 18 |
| Chris Bassitt, Athletics | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Dylan Bundy, Angels | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 5 |
| Liam Hendriks, Athletics | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Framber Valdez, Astros | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
“Nobody’s more deserving of it than him, and he knows what he wants, and he knows how to go out and get it,” Bieber said. “And we keep in touch. I was truly pulling for him, and you know, so is my family. And I know he feels the same way, so it’s special.”
Bieber and Bauer, two California locals, made it an Ohio clear on the hill in 2020. They are the third pair of previous partners to win Cy Young Awards in a similar season, as per research by the Elias Sports Bureau. Greg Maddux and Dennis Eckersley in 1992 and Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello in 2016 likewise refined the accomplishment.
Bieber gives Cleveland its fifth Cy Young Award since CC Sabathia won in 2007. Precipice Lee won in 2008, and Corey Kluber brought home the honor in 2014 and 2017. Gaylord Perry in 1972 is the main other Cy Young champ for the Indians.
