Gavin Williams wasn’t quite as sharp as he had been earlier in these playoffs, but he was pretty darn close.
Despite that, the Cleveland Guardians pulled Williams after five innings and 70 pitches on Thursday afternoon at home against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the ALCS.
It was a lot earlier than everyone would’ve expected Williams to be taken out of the game.
Williams had thrown 5.0 innings on Thursday. He had allowed two hits and one walk, giving up two runs on a two-run triple by Chandler Simpson.
He had also struck out nine as both his fastball and breaking ball were dominant.
Despite that, the Guardians took him out of the game after five innings in a huge game with the ALCS tied 1-1.
Why Did Guardians Pull Gavin Williams?
The answer provided by the TNT broadcast’s reporter Lauren Shehadi that she got from the Guardians’ dugout: “He’s just pitched a lot.”
Williams is not hurt, according to her report.
That’s certainly the case. Williams closed out the ninth inning in Game 4 of the ALDS, then started in Game 5 and was dominant.
The relief appearance was last Thursday, then the start on Saturday, then this start on this Thursday.
The Guardians clearly just felt like they needed to be careful with Williams. They’ll need him again if this series goes the distance, or if Cleveland gets to the World Series.
Cleveland also has plenty of technology to tell them how Williams might be doing out there. Teams these days aren’t devoid of helpful data.
They also must’ve trusted their bullpen option, Daniel Espino.
How Daniel Espino Did
The Guardians put a lot on Daniel Espino’s plate. He’d get the top of the Rays’ order.
Espino was once a top prospect, but a ton of injuries nearly ended his career. He had to settle into a relief role, as it’s too risky to stretch him out as a starter.
But as he showed in his inning in relief of Williams, he’s got amazing stuff, including a 101 MPH fastball.
Espino got Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda to each put the ball in play for outs, but then came the fun matchup.
With the Guardians up a run, Rays slugger Junior Caminero dug in.
Espino threw the slugger a 100.6 MPH fastball for a called strike. Then he went up to the top of the zone at 100.6 MPH again for a swing and miss. And then Espino went well out of the zone up top at 100.3 MPH — and Caminero swung and missed again.
The move may have been curious, but it certainly worked out.
Why Guardians Pulled Gavin Williams After 70 Pitches in ALCS Game 3