Indians: Shane Bieber destroys the competition again with Cy Young win

The Cleveland Indians have their fifth Cy Young winner in 14 years, as Shane Bieber adds his name to the list of past pitching greats for the Indians.

The year 2021 starts on Jan. 1, the Earth rotates around the sun, Cool Ranch Doritos are the best food item invented since 1990 and Shane Bieber won the 2020 AL Cy Young Award. If you don’t know what these four things have in common, it’s “What are four things that cannot be disputed.” Bieber was a lock for the award by the last two weeks of the season, in fact, the entire last third of the season every other pitcher in the AL was playing for second place. He was and will forever be the Ace of the AL.

Bieber finished the year with the Triple Crown for pitching, leading the league in strikeouts (122), ERA (1.63), and wins (8). He also sits at a career winning percentage of .708, a franchise-best since 1908.

Bieber’s win was so dominant that no one came within 100 points of his total of 210 total points. Bieber earned all 30 first-place votes, making him a unanimous selection for the award. Not just that, but his ERA of 1.69 is the lowest by a qualifying AL starter since baseball lowered the pitching mound in 1969.

By winning the award, Bieber now joins the hallowed hall of Cy Young winners the Indians have produced. He joins Gaylor Perry (1972), C.C. Sabathia (2007), Cliff Lee (2008), and Corey Kluber (2014, 2017) as the only Indians pitchers to win the award.

He wasn’t the only arm produced by the Indians to win a Cy Young tonight either, as former long-time Indians pitcher and current Cinncinati Red’s pitcher Trevor Bauer won the NL Cy Young tonight as well. Bauer became the first-ever pitcher from the Reds to win a Cy Young award, which is ironic as he’s now a free agent.

The Indians continue their hot-streak of post-season awards with Bieber’s Cy Young win, adding it to Carlos Carrasco’s two Comeback Player of the Year awards, the two Gold Gloves won by Roberto Perez and Cesar Hernandez, and the Silver Slugger won by Jose Ramirez. If Ramirez takes home the MVP on Thursday, then the only player who didn’t win an award he was nominated for would-be Zach Plesac, who fell short his in his bid for the AL Gold Glove for pitchers.