Corey Kluber would prefer that you stop calling him 'Klubot'

Mike Oz

Corey Kluber, the Cleveland Indians ace and two-time Cy Young winner, isn’t the most animated player on the field. You won’t find him pumping his fist after a strikeout. Or shooting invisible arrows to the tops of stadiums. Heck, you’ve probably never even seen him smile on the field.

His demeanor is what birthed Kluber’s nickname — Klubot.

But during his appearance on this week’s Yahoo Sports MLB Podcast, Kluber proved that he is indeed not a robot by talking to our Jeff Passan about pulling pranks in the clubhouse, watching soccer and drinking wine. He also told us something about that Klubot nickname. He’s not a huge fan.

In true Kluber fashion, he’s not going to object too harshly, but he’d certainly prefer you not call him that.

“I won’t be opposed to finding something different,” Kluber said during our interview.

You can find our entire podcast and interview with Kluber by clicking over to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Acast. In the show, we also discuss the current MLB trade market for Manny Machado and others, how we’d reinvent the All-Star game and lots more.

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Kluber is having another of the stellar seasons that’s won him a Cy Young in the past — last year, in fact. This year, he’s 12-4 with a 2.49 ERA and he’s a big reason the Indians once again have one of the best starting staffs in MLB.

As for the Klubot nickname, Kluber further explains: “I wouldn’t say it bothers me. When most people see me, that’s when I’m pitching and I try to stay even keel when I’m pitching out there, not get too high or too low. If that projects as being robotic, then so be it. I wouldn’t say it upsets me. What I’m doing when most people see me is probably what leads to that perception.”

Once again, you can find the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Acast and where ever you find podcasts. If you dig what we’re doing, we’d appreciate your ratings and reviews to help the show grow.

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Mike Oz is a writer at Yahoo Sports. Contact him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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