Shane Bieber

1. Early life and amateur career

Shane Bieber attended Laguna Hills High School in Laguna Hills, California. During his junior year, his pitch speed consistently reached the mid-80s, and he exhibited exceptional command. Despite his strong performance, he did not attract significant attention from many collegiate baseball programs and was recruited to play college baseball at the University of California, Santa Barbara as a walk-on.

In 2013, as a senior, Bieber recorded an 8-4 win-loss record with a 1.40 ERA. After graduating that year, he enrolled at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and played for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos baseball team. By his sophomore year, he had earned a scholarship. In 2014, he participated in collegiate summer baseball for the Cowlitz Black Bears in the West Coast League. The following year, 2015, he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. In 2016, his junior year, he posted a 12-4 record with a 2.74 ERA over 18 starts. Later that year, he was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the fourth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, as the 122nd overall pick.

2. Professional career

Shane Bieber's professional baseball career began in the minor leagues with the Cleveland organization, where he quickly ascended through their farm system before making his Major League Baseball debut. He has since become a prominent pitcher for the Cleveland franchise, earning numerous accolades and establishing himself as one of the league's top talents.

2.2. Major League Baseball

Bieber made his Major League Baseball debut with the Cleveland Indians in 2018 and has since remained with the franchise, which rebranded as the Cleveland Guardians in 2022. He has achieved numerous career highlights, including All-Star selections, a Cy Young Award, and a Gold Glove.

2.2.1. Cleveland Indians (2018-2021)

The Cleveland Indians purchased Bieber's contract and added him to their active roster on May 31, 2018, his 23rd birthday. He made his major league debut that same evening, starting against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. He pitched 5²/₃ innings, allowing four earned runs and eight hits, while walking one and striking out six batters, in a 9-8 victory for the Indians. Although he was optioned back to Triple-A Columbus after this game, he was recalled and earned his first major league win on June 17 against the Twins. He then went on a four-game winning streak, establishing himself in the starting rotation. Bieber concluded his rookie season with an 11-5 record, a 4.55 ERA, and 118 strikeouts in 20 appearances (19 starts).

In the 2019 season, Bieber continued to impress, holding a 7-3 record with a 3.54 ERA through 18 games (17 starts) by mid-season. This performance earned him his first MLB All-Star selection. He was a late addition to the team for the All-Star Game, which was held at Progressive Field in Cleveland. During the game, Bieber pitched the fifth inning, striking out the side on just 19 pitches as the American League secured a 4-3 victory. His dominant performance earned him the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, becoming only the third player from the host team to win the award, following Sandy Alomar Jr. and Pedro Martínez. On May 19, Bieber recorded a 15-strikeout shutout against the Baltimore Orioles without issuing any walks, marking the fourth-youngest pitcher in MLB history to achieve such a feat. He finished the season with a 15-8 record over 214¹/₃ innings, recording 259 strikeouts and tying for the league lead with three complete games (including two shutouts). He placed fourth in the American League Cy Young Award voting, marking a breakthrough year in his career.

The 2020 season, shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saw Bieber emerge as one of baseball's most dominant pitchers. He was named the Indians' Opening Day starting pitcher for the first time, facing the Kansas City Royals on July 24 at Progressive Field. He struck out 14 batters in six scoreless innings, setting a team record for most strikeouts by a starting pitcher on Opening Day. In his next start against the Minnesota Twins on July 30, he struck out 13 batters over eight innings, tying Karl Spooner for the most strikeouts by a pitcher in their first two starts of a season with 27. In August, Bieber started six games, achieving a 1.63 ERA with 57 strikeouts, including five starts with double-digit strikeouts. Upon reaching 50 innings pitched, Bieber had accumulated 84 strikeouts, the most by a starting pitcher in MLB history over that span, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. By the end of August, he led the majors in ERA (1.20), strikeouts (84), wins (six), and innings (52²/₃), earning his first career American League Pitcher of the Month award. He reached 100 strikeouts in just 62¹/₃ innings against the Twins, making him the fastest pitcher in MLB history to achieve 100 strikeouts in a single season, surpassing Max Scherzer's 2018 record of 63 innings. For the 2020 season, Bieber achieved the American League pitching triple crown, leading the league with 8 wins, a 1.63 ERA, and 122 strikeouts. He also led the AL in WAR (3.2), won-loss percentage (.889), fewest hits per 9 innings (5.353), and strikeouts per 9 innings (14.198). His strikeout rate of 14.2 per nine innings set an MLB record for pitchers with at least qualifying innings in a 162-game season, surpassing Gerrit Cole's 13.8 in 2019. Despite his stellar regular season, Bieber struggled in the 2020 American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees, allowing seven runs on nine hits in 4²/₃ innings as the Indians lost 12-3. Cleveland was eliminated from the best-of-three series after a 10-9 loss in Game 2. Following the season, Bieber was unanimously awarded the AL Cy Young Award and was also selected to the All-MLB Team First Team as a starting pitcher.

In the 2021 season, Bieber served as the Indians' Opening Day starter for the second consecutive year. He set an MLB record by recording double-digit strikeouts in each of his first four starts of the season, a feat previously achieved by only six pitchers in their first three starts. However, on June 14, he was placed on the injured list due to a subscapularis strain in his right shoulder, and was later transferred to the 60-day injured list on July 25. This injury led to a significant drop in the spin rate of his curveball and slider, which coincided with the crackdown on sticky substances in MLB. Despite being selected to his second All-Star Game on July 4 via player vote, he had to decline due to the injury. Bieber was activated from the injured list on September 24 and made two limited appearances towards the end of the season.

2.2.2. Cleveland Guardians (2022-present)

On March 22, 2022, Bieber signed a 6.00 M USD contract with the Cleveland Guardians, avoiding salary arbitration. He was the Guardians' Opening Day starter for the third consecutive year, and the first for the team under its new name. In 2022, he posted a 13-8 record with a 2.88 ERA over 200 innings pitched. After the season, on November 2, Bieber won his first career Gold Glove Award, joining teammates Steven Kwan, Andrés Giménez, and Myles Straw. The four Gold Glove winners set a new franchise record for the Guardians in a single season. On November 16, he was ranked seventh in the American League Cy Young Award voting, receiving one fourth-place vote and three fifth-place votes, totaling five points.

On January 13, 2023, Bieber agreed to a one-year, 10.01 M USD contract with the Guardians, once again avoiding salary arbitration. On July 15, he was placed on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation, and then transferred to the 60-day injured list on July 24. He was activated from the injured list on September 22 and started against the Baltimore Orioles on the same day. He finished the 2023 season with 6 wins and 6 losses, a 3.80 ERA, and 107 strikeouts over 128 innings.

Bieber started the 2024 season strongly, winning both of his starts without allowing any runs and leading the league with 20 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched. However, on April 6, 2024, it was announced that Bieber would require Tommy John surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, ending his season. On December 11, 2024, Bieber re-signed with the Guardians on a one-year Major League contract that includes a player option for the 2026 season.

3. Player profile

Shane Bieber's pitching arsenal primarily features a four-seam fastball, which accounts for approximately 60% of his pitches and averages 92.7 mph. He complements his fastball with a slider, a knuckle curve, and a changeup. A notable aspect of Bieber's effectiveness is his pitching mechanics; he has a unique delivery that keeps the ball hidden until very late in his release. This deception makes his pitches seem faster than their actual velocity, making them particularly challenging for batters to hit.

4. Personal life

Shane Bieber became engaged to his longtime girlfriend, Kara, in July 2021, and they were married on January 21, 2023, in Malibu, California. During the baseball season, Bieber resides in Westlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

4.1. "Not Justin" anecdote

Due to sharing the same last name as Canadian singer Justin Bieber, Shane Bieber has been involved in several humorous incidents. During Players Weekend in 2019, Shane Bieber chose "Not Justin" as his nickname to be displayed on the back of his jersey, playfully acknowledging the shared name. In response, a few weeks later, Justin Bieber was seen wearing a custom "Not Shane Bieber" jersey in a video he posted on social media, demonstrating a good-natured exchange between the two. Shane Bieber later gifted Justin an Indians jersey. In the same year, a Topps baseball card of Shane Bieber mistakenly printed "Justin" on the back. Both Biebers joked about the error on Twitter, with Topps humorously referencing Justin Bieber's song "Sorry" in their apology.

5. Awards and achievements

• Cy Young Award (AL): 2020
• Gold Glove Award (P): 2022
• MLB All-Star Game MVP: 2019
• American League Wins Leader: 2020
• American League ERA Leader: 2020
• American League Strikeouts Leader: 2020
• Pitching Triple Crown (AL): 2020
• Players Choice Award for American League Outstanding Pitcher: 2020
• American League Pitcher of the Month: August 2020
• All-MLB Team First Team Starting Pitcher: 2020
• MLB All-Star selection: 2019, 2021
• Opening Day starting pitcher: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
• Led the league in complete games: 2019 (3)
• Led the league in shutouts: 2019 (2)
• Holds the MLB record for fastest to 100 strikeouts in a single season (62¹/₃ innings): 2020
• Holds the MLB record for most strikeouts in a pitcher's first four starts of a season (48 strikeouts): 2021

6. Career statistics