What fatigue? Williams fans 12, flirts with no-no 2 days after closing Game 4

CLEVELAND -- The Gavin Williams that Stephen Vogt first met after taking over as the Guardians’ manager two years ago was quiet and reserved off the field. On the field, he was still developing into the pitcher we know him as today.

There was no way, Vogt says, that Williams would have stepped up and called for the ball in the biggest game of the Guardians’ season -- as he did this week.

“He knows who he is as a pitcher now and believes in that,” Vogt said. “I’ve just seen somebody gain more and more confidence in himself.”

Two days after making an emergency relief appearance in Game 4 of the American League Division Series on Thursday against the White Sox, Williams called for the ball in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday at Progressive Field. He backed up his request by delivering a start that will live long in Cleveland baseball lore.

Williams struck out 12 batters on Saturday, to lead the Guardians to a 2-0 win over the White Sox that secured Cleveland a berth in the AL Championship Series against the Rays. Williams tied a franchise postseason record set by Charles Nagy in Game 4 of the 1996 ALDS.

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Over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, Williams allowed just one hit, two walks and a hit batter. The Guardians struck out 21 batters overall, setting an all-time record for a regular season or postseason nine-inning game.

Is this what Williams -- who led the AL in strikeouts this season -- envisioned when he stopped by Vogt’s office after the Guardians' Game 4 win on Thursday?

“I always imagine myself doing this,” said Williams, who could start Game 3 of the ALCS on Thursday on four days’ rest. “It doesn't really matter the circumstance. I just try to give the team the best shot to win every time I go out there. That's my main goal right now.”

Williams threw 18 pitches in the ninth inning Thursday to secure Cleveland’s 9-5 win in Game 4. The Guardians continually contended that his relief appearance would emulate a high-intensity bullpen session. But they didn’t fully know how his body would respond to the unique workload until he took the mound Saturday.

Williams quickly put any concerns to rest, all while pitching through steady rainfall. He faced one batter over the minimum through three innings, recording six strikeouts while issuing just a walk to Tristan Peters in the second. He did not allow a hit until Kyle Teel’s two-out single in the sixth.

“I think the live reps helped out a lot,” Williams said of his relief appearance.

No kidding. Williams struck out three batters in the second and two in the third, and he struck out the side in the fourth. He struck out two more Chicago hitters in the fifth. On the night, his four-seam fastball averaged 99.1 mph, well above his regular-season average of 97.6 mph.

“It's hard to imagine somebody going no-hit into the sixth,” Vogt said. “You never imagine that, but that's why you put somebody like that on the mound in this game.

“What he did [Thursday] night was unbelievable. … And then to turn in that performance [Saturday]. He ran out of pitches. That's the only reason he came out of that game.”

Williams’ night ended after a two-out walk to Miguel Vargas in the sixth loaded the bases. He exited to a standing ovation from a rocking crowd, and he was fired up in the third-base dugout when Erik Sabrowski struck out Munetaka Murakami to end the threat.

Williams also tied the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler for the second-most strikeouts in a win-or-go-home postseason game, and he came one shy of tying the record. Schlittler hit the mark in Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series last year.

The Tigers’ Tarik Skubal set the record (13) in Game 5 of the 2025 ALDS.

Williams also joined the Blue Jays’ Trey Yesavage (Game 2 of the 2025 ALDS) as the only pitchers with 11-plus strikeouts and zero hits allowed in the first five innings of a postseason game.

José Ramírez, whose two-run homer provided all the run support Williams needed, said he was confident in the Guardians’ chances when he learned the big right-hander was taking the ball. Williams has come through time and time again this season.

And like Vogt, the superstar third baseman has noticed a change in Williams the past few years -- for the better.

“He can be that quiet guy, but he's that silent killer,” Ramírez said. “I'm very happy to see the progression of the guy where he is right now. I'm really happy to see him like that.”