Gavin Williams has been one of the biggest reasons the Cleveland Guardians are two wins away from the World Series, but he made sure to share some of the credit with the people in the stands. After helping Cleveland beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday afternoon, Williams joined the TBS postgame set on the field at Progressive Field. Former big league outfielder Curtis Granderson asked the right hander about the atmosphere he has been pitching in this October. Williams did not need many words to describe it.
He summed up the energy at the ballpark in a way that will make plenty of Guardians fans proud.
“Cleveland is electric,” Williams said.
"Cleveland is electric" ⚡️
Gavin Williams tells @cgrand3 about the elite Progressive Field atmosphere 🏟️👏 pic.twitter.com/oLoajcLzzu
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) October 15, 2026
It is easy to see why he feels that way. Thursday’s game was moved up from its original 6 p.m. start to 1 p.m. because of the threat of bad weather, yet more than 30,000 fans still packed Progressive Field on a sunny, brisk afternoon. They were rewarded with a game full of big moments, from Petey Halpin’s two run homer and towering bat flip in the fifth inning to Cade Smith’s ten pitch strikeout of Yandy Díaz with the tying run on third base in the eighth. When Díaz finally swung and missed, the ballpark sounded like it held twice as many people.
Williams has fed off that energy all postseason. In Game 2 of the division series against the White Sox, he struck out eleven at Progressive Field. In the decisive Game 5, with the home crowd rocking from the first pitch, he carried a no hitter into the sixth inning and struck out twelve to send Cleveland to the ALCS. On Thursday, he retired the first nine Rays he faced and finished with nine strikeouts over five innings.
Add it all up, and Williams has struck out 32 batters over 15 2/3 innings in his three postseason starts at home this year. That follows a regular season in which he posted a 2.84 ERA across eighteen starts at Progressive Field, compared to a 5.05 ERA on the road. After the Game 5 clincher against Chicago, Williams said it is fun pitching in Cleveland and that he loves the place. Thursday was more proof that the feeling is mutual.
The fans have played a big role in Cleveland’s run, too. The crowd at Progressive Field helped carry the Guardians through Game 5 of the division series, when a Stand Guard banner made its way through the stands, and the energy has only grown since then. With the Guardians now leading the best of seven series 2-1, the next two games will also be played in Cleveland.
Game 4 is set for Friday at Progressive Field. If the crowd brings the same energy Williams described, the Guardians could be one step closer to celebrating a pennant at home.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt’s Reaction To Petey Halpin’s Homer Says It All
