Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams was supposed to be the starter for Game 5 should the American League Division Series reach that point. Manager Stephen Vogt, at least, had said as much before Game 4.
However, many fans and analysts believed the skipper would change his plans after he had to use the big righty to close out Game 4 on Thursday. Williams ended up throwing 18 pitches to solve the ninth inning in Cleveland’s 9-5 win.
Now what? Should the Guardians use someone else to start the biggest game of their season so far? Not quite. The manager made it official, again: Williams is his Game 5 starter, and Thursday’s relief appearance won’t change that.
The ace declared himself ready and explained why he was used in that instance.
“Been in the training room all morning, just figuring it out. But it’s just a normal day, really. I throw a pen on those days, and everybody knows it. So there’s nothing different. Just being able to fill the mound in the game-like situation is even better at that point,” Williams said.
"Been in the training room all all morning, just figuring it out. But it's just a normal day, really. I throw a pen on those days, and everybody knows it. So there's nothing different. Just being able to fill the mound in the game-like situation is even better at that point."… pic.twitter.com/KJG445l66d
— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) October 9, 2026
Williams pitched Game 2 on Monday, completing five innings and allowing two runs, striking out 11 in the no-decision. He threw 98 pitches, and it felt like he could have gone longer.
Thursday was supposed to be a throwing day for him, a between-starts bullpen session to stay sharp. He made himself available to Vogt, and the game circumstances required his services, so he entered Game 4 and delivered a dominant relief performance in which he surrendered a single hit in a scoreless frame.
It’s as simple as that: it was a much more stressful environment than a regular bullpen session for obvious reasons, but he remains in one piece, mentally sharp, and relatively fresh for his biggest start of the year so far.
The entire Guardians’ pitching staff is expected to be available for use on Saturday night at Progressive Field. That probably includes Parker Messick, who started Thursday’s game, although it’s highly unlikely he enters the action.
Perhaps Williams won’t reach six or seven frames, and that’s fine, but as long as he can keep the White Sox off the scoreboard, Vogt, the front office, and fans will take it.
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