TORONTO -- For six quick and hitless innings on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre, Indians starter
\n\n.@ShaneBieber19 is the youngest @Indians pitcher to throw a shutout with 10+ Ks while only giving up 1 hit or fewer since 22-year-old @Eck43 in 1977.
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) July 25, 2019
h/t: @SlangsOnSports pic.twitter.com/QvnZxiGB8U
Bieber finished with just the lone hit and one walk allowed over 102 pitches. His 10 strikeouts bring him to 166 over 133 1/3 innings this season, while his ERA dropped to 3.44. He spotted his fastball well all night, which set Bieber up to use his slider effectively later in counts. That pitch generated seven swinging strikes and some very weak contact, which was a theme all night for Bieber. He held the Blue Jays without an exit velocity harder than 100.1 mph, according to Statcast.\n\nComing out of his warmup prior to the game, though, Bieber wasn’t really expecting to flirt with a no-hitter. Some nights, he can sense that he’s got his best stuff the moment he steps on the mound. Wednesday was not one of those nights.\n\n“It was kind of like, ‘Oh, crap’ in the bullpen,” Bieber said. “I know that everybody says that. A lot of no-hitters, guys say that they were shaky in the bullpen or whatever it may be, but that was kind of the case tonight. Kevin \\[Plawecki\\] and I looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s just find a way to get it done.’”\n\nEvidently, they found the way.
\n\nBALLGAME!
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 25, 2019
Shane Bieber has thrown not ONE, but TWO complete game shutouts this season!#Windians | #RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/EjSeN5ca6n
\n\nThe only early blemish for Bieber was a walk to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to open the second inning. But he quickly forced Justin Smoak to ground into a double play and faced the minimum through the first six innings. The only hit allowed -- a leadoff double to Eric Sogard in the seventh -- was also stranded after Bieber struck out Smoak with runners on the corners.\n\n“It was a curveball down and in,” Bieber recalled. “He kind of dropped his hands. He’s a good hitter. I would have liked that a little more away. I thought it was a decently executed pitch. He’s just a good hitter, and he took advantage of it.”
Cleveland broke through in the fifth inning and provided run support for Bieber on a Plawecki double that brought home