Gavin Williams Reveals What Travis Bazzana Told Him After Seventh-Inning Error

Travis Bazzana looked okay in his second major league game, but he did commit an error that led to a run being scored in the seventh inning.

Apr 29, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana (37) before the game between the Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

There are going to be ups and downs when you make the jump to the highest level of baseball.

But it's what you do when faced with adversity that shows your true colors.

And on Wednesday, April 29, after throwing away an easy play at second, Travis Bazzana was kicking himself in frustration. On a routine throw to second base, Bazzana's sidearm toss attempt went wide right, sending shortstop Brayan Rocchio down to the dirt.

Jake Fraley, who would have been out on the play, rounded second when he saw the ball was headed into the outfield, before taking off towards home and scoring. Fortunately, it would be the Rays' only run scored on the night.

A run scores on an error from Travis Bazzana. He tries to scoop and throw to second but misses, sending Rocchio to the deck.

3-1, #Guardians still lead by two.#GuardsBall

— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) April 29, 2026

Gavin Williams, who was on the bump, said in his postgame interview that Bazzana came up to him and apologized.

"I mean, he came up to me, even on the field, he was trying to apologize," Williams said about what transpired between the two in the dugout following the inning. "This is his second game. There's going to be more times like that. You can't keep thinking about one thing.

"We're going to need him down the stretch and we're going to have a lot more opportunities in the field to make plays for us."

Not only is the leadership from Williams to forget the play and move on important, but Bazzana's willingness to immediately address what went wrong is as well. For a 23-year-old who was just called up on Tuesday, he's already shown major signs of maturity.

"These guys love each other," Vogt said. "I mean, they embrace each other from the day they get here. No one's trying to make errors on purpose. No one's trying to strike out on purpose. Mistakes are going to happen. Plays are going to happen. Pick each other up and let's move on."

Before the arrant toss in the seventh inning, fielding-wise, Bazzana had been consistent. After recording one putout and six assists on Tuesday, he tacked on four more assists on Wednesday.

In his entire minor league career with the Guardians, which has spanned over 120 games in length, he has only committed seven errors, proving that this early-career blunder isn't going to be a recurring issue.

At the plate, Bazzana has still not recorded a hit yet. However, he nearly squared up a pitch and sent it the distance in the bottom of the sixth inning. The ball left his bat at 102.9 mph, sending Rays center fielder Cedric Mullins back onto the warning track.

Chase DeLauter, who entered the campaign as the No. 2 prospect within the organization, said that the conditions likely played a part in Bazzana's strike not being a homer.

"He smashed the ball to center field, but unfortunately, the environment wasn't in our favor there," DeLauter said. "But he's a hitter. He's going to hit for us. He's going to help us win games, and he's going to play a good second base, and that's all you can ask for, so excited to keep playing with him."

And it's not like Bazzana's career comes to a close today.

He will have plenty more opportunities to rebound from his error and leave the yard for the first time in the big leagues.

Cleveland is right back in action on Friday, May 1, for a 9:40 p.m. EST matchup against the Athletics.