Blue Jays' Shane Bieber struggles with control, walks 6 in two-thirds of an inning vs. Nats

WASHINGTON — Toronto pitcher Shane Bieber's start against the Washington Nationals was anything but a walk in the park.

The former Cy Young Award winner issued walks to six of the nine batters he faced — including three with the bases loaded — before departing after two-thirds of an inning Tuesday night. In his previous 149 pitching appearances, the 31-year-old right-hander's high for walks was five.

According to Stathead/Baseball Reference, Bieber is the 11th pitcher in major league history to walk at least six while recording two outs or less, and the first to do so since Florida's Ryan Dempster on Oct. 5, 2001, at Atlanta.

Bieber is the first Cy Young winner to have such an outing, although Hall of Famers Bob Feller and Christy Mathewson did, too. Bieber won the AL Cy Young in 2020.

Bieber threw 42 pitches, with only 15 strikes. He is the second player this season to throw that many pitches with so few strikes. Kansas City's Eric Cerantola threw 14 strikes in a 42-pitch relief outing against Tampa Bay on June 30.

Washington's James Wood led off the first with a walk, and Luis García Jr. followed with a grounder to second. Dylan Crews then earned a free pass, and CJ Abrams followed with a well-placed infield single.

The typically free-swinging Keibert Ruiz followed with a four-pitch walk that scored the first run, and Daylen Lile drew another walk that pushed in another run. Nasim Nuñez hit a sacrifice fly before Jorbit Vivas loaded the bases again with the inning's fifth walk, prompting a mound visit from Toronto pitching coach Pete Walker.

Jacob Young then took six pitches --- three balls and then two called strikes followed by a slider well outside the zone --- to force in a fourth run. That prompted manager John Schneider to head to the mound and end Bieber's outing.

Reliever Brendon Little got Wood to ground out to end the inning.

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