The Cleveland Guardians needed everybody to step up on Tuesday night.
They knew they were going against the Detroit Tigers’ ace, and while oddsmakers chose Tarik Skubal over Gavin Williams, it was the Guardians’ hurler who had the last laugh.
The Guardians posted a season-high 19 strikeouts in the 5-2 home win over A.J. Hinch’s team, with Williams logging 12.
Bring 'em up. Set 'em down. 😮💨#GuardsBall | #GuardiWins pic.twitter.com/vkibBqoa4a
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) September 24, 2025
Williams tied his career-high with 12 strikeouts, allowing just two earned runs on four hits.
He also gave up two walks in six innings of work.
It seemed like Williams was going to leave with the loss, but the Guardians rallied with a three-run sixth inning to help him get the win.
This was a huge triumph for Stephen Vogt’s team.
It helped the Guardians tie the Tigers at 85 wins and 72 losses, and with the tiebreaker, they’re now sitting atop the AL Central Division.
The Guardians were as many as 15.5 games behind the Tigers at one point in the season, and they’ve now overcome the largest division deficit in MLB history.
They still need to win the next two games of the series to add to their win tally and widen the gap between these two teams.
Tanner Bibee will take the mound against Jack Flaherty for the second game of the series, and hopefully, the rest of the pitching staff will keep the momentum going.
The Guardians’ pitchers have been on a tear for the past month or so, and they also deserve a lot of credit for this late-season turnaround.
NEXT: Guardians Catcher Emerging As Unsung Hero In Postseason Chase
