All-Star starting pitcher Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians has been unanimously voted the American League Pitcher of the Month for July-August, and All-Star starter Yu Darvish of the Chicago Cubs has been named the National League Pitcher of the Month. The announcements were made earlier today on MLB Network.
Bieber earned his first career Pitcher of the Month Award and is the first Indians hurler to take home monthly honors since his former rotation-mate Mike Clevinger, who did so last August. Darvish also earned his first Pitcher of the Month Award and is the first Cubs pitcher to accomplish the feat since his rotation-mate Jon Lester during his All-Star 2018 campaign (August).
Shane Bieber, Cleveland Indians (@shane_bieber)
• Across eight starts, compiled a perfect 6-0 record with 84 strikeouts, 13 walks and a 1.20 ERA over 52.2 innings pitched, while permitting 30 hits and four home runs.
• Bieber’s 84 punchouts are the most by a starting pitcher through his first 50 innings pitched of a season in Major League history, eclipsing the previous record (79) set by Kerry Wood in 1998.
• Tallied eight strikeouts in his most recent outing on Monday night against the Kansas City Royals. Has tallied at least eight strikeouts in each of his first eight starts to begin the season, the second-longest such streak to begin a campaign in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Bob Feller (9G, 1946).
• Shane’s 1.20 ERA is the third-lowest among Tribe hurlers through their first eight starts of a season, trailing only Cy Falkenberg (0.88 ERA, 1913) and Luis Tiant (0.98 ERA, 1968).
Yu Darvish, Chicago Cubs (@darvishsefat11)
• Registered a 6-1 record with 52 strikeouts and a 1.47 ERA across seven starts, while limiting the opposition to 35 hits, including only two home runs, and just eight walks.
• Following a loss in his first start of the season, has won each of his last six decisions while permitting one run-or-fewer in each outing. Became the first Cubs starter since Lester in 2016 to earn six straight wins while not allowing more than one earned run in a single game.
• Collected his 1,300th career strikeout in his opening start against the Brewers, becoming the fastest pitcher in MLB history to reach the milestone, both by batters faced (4,360) and innings pitched (1,052.0).
• The control specialist has now posted a career-best streak of 24 straight starts dating back to last season in which he has not permitted more than two walks.
Other AL pitchers with noteworthy months included Dylan Bundy (4-2, 2.47 ERA, 43.2 IP, 47 SO) of the Los Angeles Angels; All-Star Lance Lynn (4-1, 1.93 ERA, 51.1 IP, 56 SO) of the Texas Rangers; and All-Stars Dallas Keuchel (5-2, 2.70 ERA, 43.1 IP, 26 SO) and Lucas Giolito (3-2, 3.14 ERA, 48.2 IP, 66 SO) of the Chicago White Sox. Giolito tossed his first career no-hitter and became the youngest White Sox pitcher to hurl a no-hitter since 21-year-old Wilson Álvarez in August 1991 at Baltimore.
Others receiving votes for NL Pitcher of the Month included All-Star Sonny Gray (5-1, 1.94 ERA, 41.2 IP, 55 SO) of the Cincinnati Reds; Max Fried (6-0, 1.60 ERA, 45.0 IP, 43 SO) of the Atlanta Braves; and All-Star Jacob deGrom (2-1, 1.76 ERA, 41.0 IP, 58 SO) of the New York Mets.