Gavin Williams strikes out 13 as Guardians beat Blue Jays 6-1

Gavin Williams delivered a dominant seven-inning performance against the Toronto Blue Jays, tying a season high with 13 strikeouts on 97 pitches after a brutal pregame warmup and a strategic adjustment to rely on his curveball when the sweeper wasn’t right. He allowed only two singles and handed Toronto its second-fewest strikeouts of the season despite his prosperity on the mound, part of a Guardians win that kept them in the thick of the American League wild-card race. Cleveland backed Williams with a 6-1 victory, as Patrick Bailey’s two-run homer plus two-run blasts by Angel Genao and Angel Martinez supplied the offense, with Bailey’s homer giving the Guardians a lead in the fifth. Williams improved to 13-7 on the year, marking his 10th game with double-digit strikeouts, a milestone that places him among the franchise’s notable pitchers and ties for the AL strikeout lead. The win continued Cleveland’s recent strong run (11-4 since Aug. 12) as the Guardians position themselves for postseason play, while Toronto’s lineup looked to be stifled despite its recent improvements. The game underscored Williams’ emergence as a frontline starter and a key pillar in Cleveland’s rotation going into September.