Williams breaks out new pitch mix in 11-K gem to grab MLB strikeouts lead

CLEVELAND -- Guardians starter Gavin Williams snapped off a 2-2 slider to Samuel Basallo in the seventh inning on Saturday. The 85.7 mph offering landed on the outer half of the plate and froze the left-handed-hitting Orioles backstop, who was rung up for strike three.

That punchout was part of Williams’ stellar effort as the big right-hander led the Guardians to a 4-2 win over the Orioles at Progressive Field. Williams struck out 11 batters (one shy of his career high), while allowing just one run on three hits and one walk over seven innings.

By the end of his outing, Williams had assumed the MLB lead in strikeouts, with 40. His outing was just what the doctor ordered for a beleaguered Guardians bullpen that has suffered a few hiccups this week.

It was also eye-opening in several ways, both in how efficient Williams was and how he led with his breaking pitches.

“That's as good a mix I think we've seen from him,” manager Stephen Vogt said.

Williams’ four-seam fastball was his most-used offering in each of his first three big league seasons. That was also the case through his first four starts this year (28.5 percent), but on Saturday the right-hander led with his slider (37 percent) ahead of his heater (29 percent) and curveball (27 percent).

The result? One of the most efficient outings we’ve seen from Williams of recent vintage. He threw 100 pitches, including 73 strikes. His 73 percent strike rate marked the third best of his big league career, behind June 27, 2023 (76.1 percent) and July 7, 2023 (73.6 percent).

“It was definitely the plan,” Williams said of leaning into his breaking pitches. “I felt like I executed pretty well, throwing behind in counts, ahead in counts, first pitch. I had a good feel for the slider and the curveball, just dropping it in there in any count, really.”

Williams recorded five strikeouts with his slider and four with his curveball. He logged 12 whiffs on 20 swings with his slider, which is the most he’s had with the offering since the start of the 2025 season.

Williams’ four-seam fastball is a weapon. It averaged 96.7 mph through his first four starts this season, and opponents hit just .158 with a .316 slugging percentage against it. He’s naturally going to lean upon it, but Saturday showed us another formula for him to have success, if not an alternative order of operations.

Williams threw his slider more than Saturday only once in his career, on April 10, 2025, against the White Sox (43.6 percent).

“I thought the usage of both breaking balls, cutter, sinker, fastball [stood out],” Vogt said. “I thought Bo [Naylor] called a great game. He executed, I felt like he pitched with his spin tonight, and really surprised them with fastballs. That was unbelievable. Just a great job of being efficient.”

The lone run Williams surrendered came via a solo homer by Leody Taveras in the fourth inning. He went on to retire the final 11 hitters he faced.

Williams’ spin pitches loomed large in the third inning, when the Orioles had runners on second and third with one out. Gunnar Henderson hit a single, and Taylor Ward reached on a fielder’s choice and throwing error by third baseman José Ramírez.

In a five-pitch sequence to Pete Alonso, Williams threw two sliders (including a first-pitch called strike) and two curveballs. Alonso struck out swinging at a curve below the zone. Dylan Beavers followed, and in a four-pitch sequence he fouled off a first-pitch curveball before whiffing on consecutive sliders.

“First-pitch strikes are a big thing,” Williams said. “Win the 0-0, win the 0-1, and then if I get to 1-1, win the 1-1. I think those are the three biggest things I’ve got to do. And if I can win those counts, then everything opens up for me.”

Williams led the Majors with 83 walks in 2025, though 57 came before the All-Star break. He entered Saturday with 29 free passes this season, but he’s obviously come a long way from what we saw from him this time one year ago.

Whether Saturday’s pitch usage becomes a trend for future outings, it was at least an example of his ability to beat hitters in alternative ways.

“Gavin's a hard worker, and he wants to be great,” Vogt said. “That's a dangerous combination.”