Corey Kluber Sets Historic Strikeout Streak Following All-Star Break

Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber pitched a complete game Tuesday, giving up just three hits and one earned run while striking out 11 batters during the 4-1 victory over the Rockies. In doing so, he became the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out at least 10 batters in each of his five starts following the All-Star break, per the Elias Sports Bureau.

Kluber took home the Cy Young award back in 2014 by finishing 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. He struggled to keep that pace over the next two seasons but still combined for a respectable 27-25 record with a 3.32 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.

The 31-year-old right-hander has bounced back in a big way this season, posting numbers that rival that of his Cy Young campaign. Through 19 appearances, he's 10-3 with a 2.65 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. 

Much of his success this season—evidenced by Tuesday's performance and his post-All-Star break record—has to do with his uptick in strikeouts and decrease in hits allowed. He's actually performing better in both categories than he did during his Cy Young year, lowering his hits-per-nine-innings from 7.9 to 6.3 and raising his strikeouts-per-nine-innings from 10.3 to 12.4.

The All-Star will look to continue his dominant season Sunday afternoon when he's slated to toe the rubber against the Tampa Bay Rays.