CLEVELAND -- The 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 night, tying a franchise postseason record set by Charles Nagy in Game 4 of the 1996 ALDS.

Over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, Williams allowed just one hit, two walks and a hit batter.

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 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.

Williams quickly put to rest any concern that his one-inning, 18-pitch relief appearance on Thursday would affect him. He faced one batter over the minimum through three innings, recording six strikeouts while issuing just a walk to Tristan Peters in the second.

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.

Williams’ night ended after a two-out walk to Miguel Vargas in the sixth loaded the bases, just after Kyle Teel singled to break up the no-hitter. 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.