Gavin Williams delivered one of the strongest starts of his career as the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 at Progressive Field.
Williams struck out a career-high 13 batters over seven innings. He allowed only two singles and kept Toronto from building any sustained offense during his outing.
The right-hander’s performance came in an important September matchup between teams competing in the American League wild-card race.
Cleveland supplied its offense with three two-run home runs. Patrick Bailey, rookie Angel Genao and Angel Martinez each went deep, accounting for all six Guardians runs.
The victory continued a strong stretch for Cleveland. The Guardians improved to 11-4 over a 15-game span dating to August 12 and entered the game holding a narrow advantage for the final American League wild-card position.
Williams controlled the Toronto lineup with strikeouts throughout the night. His 13 strikeouts established a new personal best and came while allowing just two hits in seven complete innings.
The Blue Jays managed only one run in the 6-1 loss.
The game was played Tuesday night in Cleveland as both clubs entered the final month of the regular season with postseason positioning at stake.
Williams has been an important part of the Guardians rotation, and his latest start combined swing-and-miss effectiveness with limited traffic on the bases. The two singles were the only hits he surrendered before leaving after seven innings.
Cleveland’s three home runs gave Williams a comfortable lead and prevented Toronto from turning the game into a close late-inning contest.
The win added another victory to Cleveland’s late-season surge while Williams recorded one of the most dominant strikeout performances of his major-league career.
The Guardians and Blue Jays continued their series in Cleveland with the American League playoff race tightening as the regular season entered September.
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