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Gavin Williams continues to perform at a remarkable level with his pitching, achieving another feat in MLB playoff history following the Cleveland Guardians’ 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS on Thursday afternoon.
Williams is going through the fourth season of his career in the majors with the Guardians. He made his way up the ranks to become a full-time starter in the bullpen, helping Cleveland elevate to serious playoff contention.
Cleveland is in the middle of a best-of-seven series against Tampa Bay in the ALCS. The winner of the series will advance to the World Series, facing either the Milwaukee Brewers or the Los Angeles Dodgers. Going into Game 3, both teams were even at one game apiece with Cleveland winning 7-3 in Game 1 and Tampa Bay taking Game 2 by a 3-1 score.
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Williams came through with a big performance in Game 3. The star pitcher served on the mound for five innings, striking out nine batters while conceding two hits and two earned runs. His efforts allowed him to raise his playoff career strikeout rate to 45.9%, which wound up etching himself into the MLB record books, per reporter Sarah Langs.
“Gavin Williams’ 45.9% strikeout rate is the highest of any pitcher in his first six career appearances in postseason history (min 10 IP),” Langs wrote.
How Gavin Williams, Guardians played against Rays
Gavin Williams enjoyed a solid display on the mound, helping the Guardians take back the series lead after beating the Rays 3-2 in Game 3.
Cleveland opened the scoring with Nathaniel Lowe hitting a double to right field in the second inning. Tampa Bay tied things up with Chandler Simpson getting a triple to right field in the fourth frame. It wasn’t until the fifth inning when Petey Halpin launched a two-run homer to right-center field as Cleveland held onto the lead for the rest of the day.
The Guardians will look forward to their next matchup in the series, seeking a 3-1 lead when they host the Rays in Game 4. That contest commences on Oct. 16 as first pitch takes place at 6 p.m. ET.
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