Gavin Williams Stays on Cy Young Track with 11-Strikeout Performance in Win

The Cy Young campaign continues for Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams.

And with how his 2026 season has begun, there's an argument to be made that he isn't going to be slowing down anytime soon.

"That's as good a mix as I think we've seen from him," Vogt said about what Williams threw on Saturday night. "I thought the usage of breaking balls, cutter, sinker, fastball. I thought Bo called a great game. He executed. It felt like he pitched with his spin tonight and really surprised them with fastballs. That was unbelievable. Just a great job being efficient."

On Saturday, April 18, the Guardians took down the Baltimore Orioles, 4-2, with Williams leading the team to an incredible seven innings while on the mound. He allowed a measly three hits, one earned run, and one walk, all while striking out a season-high 11 batters. His previous season-high was a clip of 10 against the Los Angeles Dodgers just a few series ago.

He's now up to a league-high total of 40 strikeouts to begin the season.

"He was throwing strikes," Vogt continued. "I mean, he was filling up the zone. He was getting ahead, and I don't even think there were too many three-ball counts tonight. I mean, he was super efficient, a lot of punch-outs, which, usually, that means a higher pitch count, but that wasn't the case tonight.

"He was finishing guys right away. And like I said, Bo called a great game and he executed."

Through five starts, Williams has a 2.12 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and .133 batting average against, all while allowing a measly 13 total hits.

The only negative to his game is his home runs allowed, which have jumped to a mark of four on the year.

The Complementary Bats

With Williams producing such a strong showing on the mound, all the Guardians had to do was keep the bats moving and put runs on the board.

They earned a couple of early chances, more so by drawing walks than recording hits, but in the fifth inning of action, shortstop Brayan Rocchio answered the call for Cleveland.

It's not the first time he's risen to the occasion for the Guardians this season.

He drilled a three-run home run into deep right field, bringing in both veteran first baseman Rhys Hoskins and second baseman Daniel Schneemann. His homer came in a 2-2 count, with Rocchio seeing an inside fastball, sending it 357 feet.

It wasn't the hardest hit ball, but it did enough to leave the yard and give the Guardians the momentum they needed to win the game.

"Brayan works extremely hard both defensively, offensively," Vogt said postgame. "He's grown into a big leaguer. I mean, he's been here for a couple years, but, you know, he can play both spots in the middle infield and play them very well, and man, he's had some big at-bats for us this year, and it was a really fun night for him."

Eventually, the Guardians would add on another run in the bottom of the eighth inning to add a bit more insurance to their scoreline.

Catcher Bo Naylor, who statistically has been one of the league's most unlucky hitters, sent a ball 397 feet into right field. The ball left his bat at 104.7 mph, in a 1-1 count.

For the Guardians to get quality at-bats from players like Rocchio and Naylor, it's a positive sign that the two are continuing to trend in the right direction. Neither has been a consistent bat for Cleveland, but to begin the 2026 season, they are showing signs that they can be by October.

The Guardians and Orioles are next in action on Sunday, April 19, with Joey Cantillo back on the mound for a 1:40 p.m. EST first pitch.

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