Gavin Williams opened Monday’s series opener against the White Sox with a reminder of exactly why his fastball has become such a weapon for Cleveland this season. In the first inning, he blew a pitch past a Chicago hitter at over one hundred miles per hour, a moment that got lost in the chaos of the game’s later innings but stands out as a genuine rarity in franchise history when the numbers behind it are considered.
Sarah Langs broke down just how unusual that strikeout actually was.
“Gavin Williams recorded a strikeout on a 100.4 mph pitch in the first inning He now has seven career strikeouts on 100.0+ mph pitches All other Cleveland starters have combined for one such strikeout total under tracking (2008), by Danny Salazar in 2013 of Miguel Cabrera,” Langs wrote.
Gavin Williams recorded a strikeout on a 100.4 mph pitch in the first inning
He now has seven career strikeouts on 100.0+ mph pitches
All other Cleveland starters have combined for one such strikeout total under tracking (2008), by Danny Salazar in 2013 of Miguel Cabrera
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 15, 2026
That comparison covers the entire span of pitch tracking data going back to 2008, and it puts Williams in a category by himself among Guardians starting pitchers. Only one other strikeout at triple digits has been recorded by any other Cleveland starter in that entire stretch, a moment from 2013 when Danny Salazar was the pitcher on the mound.
What makes the feat even more impressive is the position Williams occupies on the roster. Relievers who only need to get through an inning or two at a time typically have an easier path to hitting triple-digit velocity, since they can empty the tank without worrying about pacing themselves through six or seven innings. Williams has managed to reach that same top-end velocity as a starter, doing it in the first inning of Monday’s game before settling into the rest of his outing, a trait that has made him one of the more dynamic arms in Cleveland’s rotation this season.
For a Guardians team fighting for playoff positioning down the stretch, having a starter capable of touching triple digits provides a different level of weapon than most rotations can offer. Williams has quietly built one of the more underrated résumés on Cleveland’s staff this season, and moments like Monday’s strikeout are a reminder that his ceiling remains among the highest of anyone the Guardians will send to the mound the rest of the way.
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