Thanks to brilliant pitching by Gavin Williams, the Cleveland Guardians will face their Friday, April 3 home opener with a winning, 4-3 record.
Williams dominated the Dodgers in the game.
The Guardians will face the Chicago Cubs in what is projected to be pleasant weather in downtown Cleveland.
Advertisement
But on the opening season road trip, Gavin Williams was brilliant in his second start of the season for the Guardians.
The 6-6, 250 pound Williams threw seven, two-hit, shutout innings against the vaunted Los Angels Dodgers on Wednesday, April 1.
The Guardians defeated the Dodgers 4-1, to win the series, two games to one.
Williams got the win, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto, an ace of the Dodgers rotation, took the loss.
Los Angeles, CA – March 31: Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) smiles while heading back to the dugout during the eight inning of a MLB game against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Freddie Freeman broke up the shutout with a loud home run on a fastball to dead center field off Guardians closer Cade Smith in the 9th inning.
The right-handed Williams, 26, was coming off an opening week start that saw him struggle mightily with command and control against the Seattle Mariners in Seattle.
Advertisement
Williams went five innings in that first start, yielding two hits, and three earned runs to the Mariners. But he walked six, on his way to taking the loss.
It was impressive that on April Fools Day, Williams was certainly fooling Dodgers hitters. He threw an array of fastballs, sweepers, and sliders to keep the Dodgers off balance.
In defeating the Dodgers, Williams stuck out 10, and walked three.
The Guardians were led in the game by timely hitting from centerfielder Daniel Schneemann and huge home runs from shortstop Gabriel Arias, and slugger Jose Ramirez.
Ramirez stroked an insurance providing two-run homer in the 7th inning, to give Cleveland and Williams a 4-0 lead.
Advertisement
As usual, the Dodgers didn’t go quietly in the game, as the Guardians relievers had to navigate traffic on the bases and a Freddie Freeman home run to uphold the Guardians lead, and ultimately the victory.
The Guardians split their season opening series with the Mariners, and then took two out of the three games against the Dodgers, winning the series.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 28: Gavin Williams #32 of the Cleveland Guardians warms up before the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on March 28, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesWhat They’re Saying:
After his first start of the season, as foxsports.com reported, Gavin Williams told MLB.com he was “out of synch with his front foot too quick to the ground before his upper body was ready deliver the ball.”
Williams certainly corrected those flaws in his second start of the year.
Advertisement
Following the game, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt told WTAM, “Gavin made some adjustments from start to start. Our coaches are coaching well, and it was a real good road trip for us.”
Williams dominated from the first pitch, until he left after seven innings.
The Cleveland bullpen picked Williams up, closing out the game against some of Major League Baseball’s finest hitters.
In his victory against the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman went hitless against Williams.
Those are four of the finest hitters in the game. Each has a history of All Star appearances to their credit.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 31: Andy Pages #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks off the field during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium on March 31, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ryan Sun/Getty Images)
Getty Images
In fact, only Andy Pages with three hits, and Teoscar Hernandez with one hit were the only Dodgers players to hit safely in the game. Until Freeman hit his 9th inning homer.
Advertisement
Cade Smith got the save in the game.
45,556 Dodgers fans didn’t get a victory for their team on April, 1, but if they are true baseball fans, they had to admire the great pitching effort of Gavin Williams.
Now, the Guardians will finally get some home cooking back in Cleveland, after a long spring training in Arizona, and seven tough road games to start the season.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com