Cleveland Pitcher Loses No-Hitter In 9th As Guardians Sweep Mets

One of the best storylines of the second half of the season for the Cleveland Guardians has been the emergence of Gavin Williams as a true ace of the rotation.

The former first-round pick had never fully found his stride through a full season, but over the last few weeks, he has looked like the ace he was projected to be when he was selected out of Eastern Carolina University and stormed his way through Cleveland’s minor league system.

After working tirelessly all season, Williams put together the best start of his career on Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field during Cleveland’s 4-0 win over the New York Mets.

Williams was just two outs away from making Guardians and MLB history.

Cleveland’s starter nearly threw a no-hitter, pitching 8.2 innings, walking four batters, and striking out six. The only hit and run Williams allowed was a solo home run off the bat of Juan Soto in the bottom of the ninth inning with one out.

Once again, a Soto home run stops the Guardians from doing something special.

Take a bow, Gavin, take a bow. #GuardsBall | #Guardians pic.twitter.com/UFuk6d3AD2
— Cleveland Guardians On SI (@GuardiansOnSI) August 6, 2025

The last time a Cleveland pitcher threw a no-hitter was Len Barker, who threw a perfect game during the 1981 season. However, Williams is far from the first Cleveland pitcher since Barker to come close to making history.

Other notable players who were just close to a no-hitter were Carlos Carrasco (8.2 IP, 2015 vs. Tampa Bay), John Farrell (8.0 IP, 1989 vs. Kansas City), and Bert Blyleven (1981 vs. Toronto).

What made this performance even that much more special is the way that Williams had to battle from the get-go. The big right-hander was struggling with his command through the first two innings. Williams threw 26 pitches, with 16 of those pitches as balls, in just the second inning alone.

However, after that long inning of work, Williams only allowed one more base runner.

Not only was it the best start of Williams’ career, but it was also the longest. His 8.2 innings and 126 pitches are now both career-highs for the right-hander.

Gavin Williams (32) is greeted at the mound. — Aug 6, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) is greeted at the mound by third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) and shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) and catcher Austin Hedges (27) and first baseman Carlos Santana (41) during a pitching change during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Even though Williams’s pitch count was rapidly rising, manager Stephen Vogt said it was always his intention to give his starter the opportunity to go the distance, and no one was up in the Cleveland bullpen until Soto’s home run left the park.

The Guardians now hold the record for the fourth-longest stretch of consecutive games (6,987) without a no-hitter. Only the Mets (8,019), San Diego Padres (8,205), and Philadelphia Phillies (8,938) have a longer streak.

The story of the game is going to be what could have been for Williams and the Guardians, but that doesn’t take away from this special performance and the fact that Cleveland leaves New York with a sweep over the Mets.

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