Gavin Williams may have been on his way to a perfect game, or at least a no-hitter, as the Cleveland Guardians took on the Arizona Diamondbacks at Progressive Field on Sunday. Turns out, it was not to be, but based on the way the right-hander has been pitching over the past month, it wouldn’t have been a surprise at all.
Williams finished his outing with 10 strikeouts and one walk, the fifth straight game he has had that many strikeouts with that few walks allowed. It made him just the third pitcher in MLB history, along with Chris Sale and Clayton Kershaw, to reach those marks for that long a stretch.
Cleveland catcher Patrick Bailey had an up-close look at Williams’ latest dominant performance, and afterward, he raved about the Guardians pitcher.
“He throws 100 with a 90 mph sweeper and a banger of a curveball. So it’s not really bad pitches to call, which makes my job a little easier. But, man, he’s been dialed in. He’s been getting better and better over this last month,” Bailey said.
"He throws 100 with a 90MPH sweeper and a banger of a curveball. So it's not really bad pitches to call"
(Via #Guardians Zoom) Patrick Bailey on what it's been like catching Gavin Williams latley#GuardsBall @WEWS pic.twitter.com/E9mNeSVHCG
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) August 2, 2026
Williams is also part of a historic group of pitchers who have registered 55 strikeouts with three or fewer walks over a five-game stretch. That list includes Corey Kluber, who accomplished the feat for Cleveland in 2015.
Since allowing five runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 18, despite striking out 11 with no walks, Williams has allowed just two runs in his past three starts. In that time, he has 33 strikeouts with two walks in 19.2 innings.
Unfortunately, due to the Guardians’ woeful offense, they have just a 5-0 win against the Diamondbacks to show for his recent dominance. Williams went into the sixth inning with a perfect game, but after a controversial bunt attempt, Arizona’s Tim Tawa singled to break it up. He pitched just 5.2 innings, not returning to the game after a long rain delay.
It was Williams’ second flirtation with a perfect game over the past month, which shows the kind of roll he’s been on. On July 9, he retired the first 13 Minnesota Twins before Royce Lewis singled, coincidentally after a bunt attempt of his own. Williams struck out 11 and walked one in that game.
Williams is set to take the mound again on Saturday in a crucial AL Central game at the Chicago White Sox.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Speaks Out About Guardians-Diamondbacks Altercation
