Gavin Williams struck out 11 batters against the Baltimore Orioles to become MLB's current season leader in strikeouts.
Gavin Williams hasn’t just established himself as the Cleveland Guardians' ace of their rotation, but as one of the top starting pitchers in all of MLB.
That narrative only got even stronger on Saturday night as Williams dominated the Baltimore Orioles in the Guardians’ 4-2 victory.
Cleveland’s starting pitcher only gave up one earned run all night, which was a solo home run, and allowed three hits in 7.0 innings of work.
One of Williams’ biggest struggles throughout the early going of the year has been giving away too many free passes to first base, but against the Orioles, he only issued one walk.
The most impressive part of this start, though, was Williams’ 11 strikeouts. This was the second time in 2026 that Williams has notched a start with double-digit punchouts, with the other coming against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In this outing alone, Williams has a whiff rate of 36 percent (18/50), with the majority of those swings and misses coming off his sweeper (12).
It was that pitch, along with the fastball and curveball, that simply has Orioles hitters guessing all night long, especially Pete Alonso, who struck out all three times he faced Williams.
Stephen Vogt said that Williams on Saturday was “The best I think we’ve seen from him.”
Now, after this start, Williams has 40 logged strikeouts through his first five starts, which is the most in all of MLB. The other pitches among baseball strikeout leaders include Jose Soriano (39), Cam Schlittler (36), and Cristopher Sanchez (35).
Apr 18, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images“That’s not the biggest goal for me,” said Williams on the 40 strikeouts.
“I’m just trying to help the team win games anyway possible to do that, that’s what I’m going to do. It’s cool, but I don’t think it’s necessary if I have to punch that many people out. Just trying to win games.”
Williams may not be trying to get strikeouts, but considering he keeps forcing hitters to strike out is just another fact that he’s entered the conversation for one of MLB’s top pitchers.
The Guardians don’t just have their ace, but could have an All-Star and Cy Young candidate in their pitching staff if he keeps this up.
Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.