Cleveland Guardians fans, Gavin Williams is here! The Guardians never put too much pressure on their young players. They assure them that their first few games will not define their careers. Gavin Williams had a rough outing in his first start in the show as he gave up four runs in the game. Fast forward to last night. Williams was lights out! He was focused, energized, and ready to dominate. A dominant performance is the only way to describe this young man’s second start in the big leagues.
Williams Had A Night!
“He’s got a big arm,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “That’s an upper-90s fastball with carry [and] two breaking balls. He pitched effectively at the top or just above the zone, and he threw a lot of strikes. When he didn’t want to throw a strike, he didn’t throw a strike. He pitched really well.” as reported by MLB.com.
Williams picked up where he left off with the momentum he built in Oakland. The 23-year-old righty did not miss a beat! Gavin tossed four hitless innings until the only hit off him came in the 5th. Other than that Williams allowed just one walk and stuck out six on 92 pitches.
“Every call I made was an easy call,” catcher Bo Naylor said. “We were working really well together. All I had to do was click a button and let him do the work. He showed us what he’s made of right there. What can you expect when you’re coming out for your debut? You’re gonna have those jitters and stuff. Today, I felt like [he was] a little more relaxed, settled in very easily, and just kind of pitched with his stuff and played freely.”
Here Come The Guards!
The Cleveland Guardians would go on to win this game with a final score of 2-1. Behind Gavin Williams, the Guards would take the series opener and move to 38-40 on the season. Despite the Guardians being below .500 they are still only 0.5 games back from the division-leading Minnesota Twins.
Cleveland is still in a prime spot to take the American League Central still. This team is still figuring it out but if they can get it together soon come playoff time they could be a real threat. This is still the same team that took the Yankees five games in the ALDS. The same team that never gave up no matter how grim the situation looked. It is all about building momentum and the Cleveland Guardians are doing just that as of late.
Image Credits: commons.wikimedia.org.
Amanda Lynne