CLEVELAND -- What’s left of Gavin Williams is still better than the best version of anyone else.
The Guardians’ star did it again in their Game 3 ALCS win, striking out nine Rays batters over five innings in Cleveland’s 3-2 victory at Progressive Field on Thursday. He’s made the jump from a great starter to a truly elite one this postseason, overwhelming opponents. He flipped the ALDS all by himself, and he might do it to this series, too.
That doesn’t come without a cost, though. Williams just wedged in a relief appearance in Game 4 of the ALDS, then came back around to start Game 5 two days later. Starting pitchers are creatures of habit, but Williams is suddenly pushing himself in brand-new ways, asking more of his body than ever.
“Gavin was outstanding again,” said manager Stephen Vogt. “He was everything we could ask for and more. One mistake, and [Chandler] Simpson made him pay for it, but I thought Gavin threw the ball excellently. Probably could have gone longer, but his velo started to drop there in the fifth. And what we just asked him to do over the weekend, out of abundance of caution and in fairness to him, it felt like it was time to move away from him.”
There’s no sense of worry here and nothing “wrong” with Williams. This is just the reality of where Williams is at and the Guardians wanting to manage him properly. After touching 99 mph in the early innings, Williams was sitting closer to 95 mph in his fifth and final frame.
There are times to punch the gas and hope for the best -- like the Guardians are doing with closer Cade Smith and setup man Hunter Gaddis, who are sure bets to pitch in nearly every game -- but there are also times to cash out. Vogt and the Guardians cashed out at the right time Thursday, getting another spectacular performance out of Williams, but still protecting the next one. Williams could come back for Game 7 on regular rest if it’s needed, but as we’ve seen already, “regular” is out the window.
“I definitely noticed it a little bit, but I've done something that I never did last week,” Williams said. “So I thank them too. They noticed it a little bit. So we’ll see what I've got in two days or five days, whatever they need from me.”
If the Guardians can stay in this sweet spot with Williams, he’s their superpower. Just as Junior Caminero or José Ramírez could flip this series with a single moment, Williams can do that each time he steps on the mound. He’s having the type of postseason that -- if the Guardians can pull this off -- they’ll be talking about in Cleveland forever.
Williams now has 33 strikeouts over 16 2/3 innings in the 2026 postseason. His career postseason strikeout percentage (45.9%) is the highest in MLB history among pitchers who have thrown 10 or more innings, ahead of Corey Knebel (44.6%). Legends are born in October, and somehow, some way, Williams has unlocked another level of himself.
Everyone is asking the same question: How is he doing this? How, against better and better opponents, is Williams playing the best baseball of his life?
“That's a good question, actually. I can't pinpoint it,” Williams said. “I just keep telling myself, ‘Don't let the moment get too big.’ Take your deep breath when you need to and keep the heart rate down.
It’s the type of stuff that turns teammates into fans, too, standing and watching with the rest of us. Watching from left field, Steven Kwan quickly knew “it was going to be one of those days.” Watching from center, Petey Halpin had a great view of all those Rays batters walking back to the dugout.
“It's unbelievable. He's an absolute horse,” said Halpin. “He goes out there, he dominates, throws strikes, puts us in a position to win every time he pitches. You can't ask for more out of a guy.”
Pair that with Smith on the back end? Good luck.
“They were excellent,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “From what I've seen and watched on TV coming into our series, they've been pretty electric, both of them. A lot of power from Gavin Williams, and he sets a tone with a fastball, then he goes heavy offspeed. He can go either way. With Cade Smith, he's really tough to square up. He's been like that since he's evolved into this dominant closer role, and he's doing it now in the postseason again.”
This is how the Guardians can do it. Underdogs from the very beginning, they needed to steal a game … maybe two. Lately, that’s all Williams is doing.