Guardians name Gavin Williams for Game 3 against Rays as MLB moves start time
Cleveland chose Williams after assessing his heavy Division Series workload. Thursday’s ALCS game against Griffin Jax and Tampa Bay will start five hours earlier because of forecast rain.
The Cleveland Guardians named Gavin Williams their starter for Thursday’s American League Championship Series Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays in Cleveland, after assessing his recent workload. Williams will face Griffin Jax in a game MLB moved from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. ET because of forecast rain.
The announcement Wednesday followed a demanding Division Series against the Chicago White Sox. ESPN reported that Williams threw 210 pitches over six days, making three appearances totaling 11⅔ innings as Cleveland advanced to face Tampa Bay.
Why Cleveland waited to name Gavin Williams
Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said Williams threw a bullpen session Tuesday before the club settled on Game 3. Cleveland wanted to see how he responded to his workload before deciding when he should pitch in the series, Antonetti said, according to ESPN.
Williams worked five innings in Division Series Game 2 and returned for one relief inning in Game 4. In the deciding Game 5, he struck out 12 over 5⅔ scoreless innings as Cleveland beat Chicago 2–0. His use across those games made his recovery part of the club’s decision about the next start.
Williams said the workload felt normal to him, apart from pitching in a game during what had been intended as a bullpen session. He said his body and arm felt good, ESPN reported. During the regular season, the right-hander led the American League with 248 strikeouts and posted a 3.76 ERA over 184⅓ innings in 32 starts.
Why ALCS Game 3 starts at 1 p.m. ET
MLB moved Thursday’s start five hours earlier because of the Cleveland-area weather forecast. The league said it acted ahead of predicted rain Thursday night to help keep the ALCS on schedule, according to CBS Sports. The change brings the game into the afternoon; the forecast does not establish that rain will disrupt play.
The series arrives in Cleveland level after the teams split the first two games in Tampa Bay. Games 3 through 5 are scheduled for Cleveland, giving Williams the first start of that stretch against Jax. The matchup follows the Rays’ Game 2 win, which tied the series.
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Sources and context
- Guardians start Gavin Williams vs. RaysESPN
- Rays vs. Guardians ALCS Game 3, Dodgers vs. Brewers NLCS Game 4 start times moved upCBS Sports
- Guardians’ Gavin Williams shares completely real admission before ALCS Game 3 vs. RaysClutchPoints
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.