Expect Some Strikeouts in Cole-Bieber Rematch
Expect more than a few whiffs on Saturday night when Shane Bieber and Gerrit Cole take the mound in Cleveland.
With strikeout numbers up across baseball, the two aces lead the American League in Ks among pitchers who've made four starts. Bieber has already racked up an absurd 48 strikeouts. He tied Nolan Ryan (in 1978) for the most strikeouts ever recorded through a pitcher's first four starts in a season in the modern era, per MLB’s Sarah Langs, though that record was broken by Jacob deGrom (50) on Friday.
Bieber also became the first pitcher to notch 10-plus strikeouts in each of his first four starts since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893, per Elias Sports Bureau.
The 25-year-old—fresh off his first Cy Young award, a Triple Crown and a top-five MVP finish—has kept hitters looking foolish in 2021 while recording a 2.45 ERA over his first 29 1/3 innings.
"He's got a really great breaking ball,” Cole said of Bieber on Friday. “They seem to teach those well here in Cleveland. To complement that, he’s fantastic on the corners with the fastball, so it’s a tough combination.”
Cole has 39 strikeouts to start the season, behind only Bieber and Tampa Bay's Tyler Glasnow (46), who's made five starts this year. That’s the highest total through the first four starts of a season in Yankees history, topping Masahiro Tanaka’s 35 in 2014.
The Yankees' ace has given his team 24 2/3 innings so far, pitching to the tune of a 1.82 ERA.
If their first four starts are any indication, it’s safe to bet on Cole and Bieber racking up plenty of strikeouts Saturday. These are two of the nastiest pitchers in the sport, and New York (24%) and Cleveland (23.7%) hitters are middle of the pack when it comes to strikeout percentage. A rather similar Yankees team roughed Bieber up in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series last postseason. Cole, meanwhile, allowed 2 earned run in that game, a 12–3 Yankees win.
“We got to see it last October, obviously. I wouldn’t mind it unfolding like that again,” a laughing Aaron Boone said of Saturday’s pitching matchup.
When it comes to comparing Cole and Bieber this season, the latter is striking out 14.7 per nine innings compared to the former’s 14.2. Bieber has been more prone to allowing runs and hard contact, hence his higher ERA and barrel percentage. Cole has walked just three hitters compared to Bieber’s 10. Bieber has faced 22 more batters. Cole has a higher fWAR.
Of course, comparing these two is a matter of nitpicking. Both pitchers are on phenomenal runs, ones that predate this current campaign. That should make for a thrilling duel Saturday, one that’s bound to feature plenty of silly swings and frustrated hitters.
“We see Gerrit all the time and know how special he is,” Boone said. “But Bieber is similar. Great movement, great stuff.
“There’s gonna be two studs on the bump that day for sure.”
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