Top four American League strikeout pitchers are Southern California products

Southern California is home to the top four strikeout pitchers in the American League this season, and it comes as no surprise, for baseball players growing up here keep making an impact in the major leagues.

The leader was Shane Bieber, a Laguna Hills graduate pitching for the Cleveland Indians. He struck out 122. In second place was Harvard-Westlake grad Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox with 97 strikeouts. Then came Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees out of Orange Lutheran and UCLA. He struck out 94. In fourth place was Tyler Glasnow of Tampa Bay with 91. He’s a Hart grad.

In the National League, No. 2 in strikeouts was Trevor Bauer from Hart and UCLA. He had 100 strikeouts for the Cincinnati Reds. And the National League leader for best record was 7-0 Max Fried from the Atlanta Braves who starred at Harvard-Westlake.

Bieber and Cole are expected to face off in a wild-card game Tuesday.

Get ready for lots of these pitchers to show off their skills in the playoffs and show how playing in Southern California prepares you to take on the best.