Trevor Bauer made history over his first two starts this season, becoming the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to pitch at least five innings in back-to-back starts and allow only one hit. The Indians would go on to win both games.
.@BauerOutage is the first pitcher in @MLB history to go 5+ IP in back-to-back starts to begin a season and give up only ONE total hit. pic.twitter.com/AIAzSNHRb3
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) April 5, 2019
Trevor Bauer Breaks Record
Bauer shattered the record by going seven innings against both the Minnesota Twins on March 30 and Toronto Blue Jays on April 4. Against the Twins, he allowed only one hit, one run, and struck out nine as he threw 108 pitches. In the Blue Jays game, he exited with a no-hitter intact. He was ultimately pulled because of a 117 pitch count. This high count came from six walks he allowed, but he struck out eight and did not allow any runs.
Recent Success
For a Cleveland Indians team that has looked shaky so far this season, Bauer has been the silver lining. Since 2015, his third year with the club, Bauer has earned double-digit wins each season. Last year, he went 12-6 with a 2.21 ERA. His home runs allowed, which had been over 20 each of the three seasons prior, was reduced to a career-best nine. This number does not include his first two seasons when he only made eight total MLB appearances. He also struck out a career-high 221 batters in his 175.1 innings pitched. His WHIP was the best of his career at 1.089. He was named an All-Star, finished sixth in the AL Cy Young Voting, and was in the conversation for AL MVP.
New Beginning in Cleveland
Bauer was drafted with the third overall pick of the 2011 amateur draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He only saw the field four times with Arizona as he was traded as part of a three-team deal between Cleveland, Arizona, and the Cincinnati Reds.
Since that trade, he has started 148 games for the Indians and has been over the .500 mark for win-loss percentage. This season, he is determined to bring home the AL Cy Young, and if the season continues as it has started, that award is not too far out of reach.
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