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The Cleveland Guardians series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies had the potential to be a well-pitched game for both sides, as Gavin Williams and Cristopher Sanchez were on the mound for their respective teams.
The pitching matchup exceeded all expectations as Williams and Sanchez put together one of the best pitcher’s duels in recent memory.
And, in the end, it was the Guardians who snuck away with a 1-0 victory.
All eyes were on Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez, who came into his start against the Cleveland with a streak of 29.2 scoreless innings. The last time the left-hander gave up a run was on April 30th.
That continued against the Guardians, with Sanchez turning in another eight scoreless innings of work, and allowed just six base runners throughout the night.
However, Williams went toe-to-toe with the Cy Young runner-up from a year ago and turned in one of the best starts of his career against the star-studded lineup. Just like Sanchez, Williams didn’t allow a run in 8.0 innings, also allowed four hits, but Cleveland’s starters didn’t issue a walk and struck out 11 hitters.
The key to Williams’ dominance and double-digit strikeouts was his sweeper, which generated 10 swings and misses.
“I kind of worked on it, I mean, right before the game, and, ing my midweek pen, too,” explained Williams about his sweeper after the game. ”I was just trying to get it back into the metrics I wanted, the shape I wanted, so that it definitely helped out.”
May 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
After Williams and Sanchez delivered blow after blow and tried to one-up each other after each frame, the Guardians and Phillies entered the ninth inning tied at zero. All night long, it felt like the difference in a win or a loss for either club would come down to one run, and that’s exactly how it played out.
After each starter had exited the game, a familiar face for Cleveland in Jhoan Duran, who was at one point the Minnesota Twins closer, took the mound for the Phillies, attempting to keep the game on ice.
However, Kyle Manzardo went swinging at the first pitch of a pinch-hit at-bat, and sent a ball over the left field wall for a solo home run to give the Guardians a late 1-0 lead.
This was the first matchup since 1988 (when pitches were first tracked) that both starters threw 8.0 or more innings, allowed zero runs, struck out six or more batters, and each threw under 100 pitches (per OptaStats on X).
"Man, what a beautiful game. If you like pitching, you would have really liked tonight's game,” said manager Stephen Vogt.
“I mean, you know, Sanchez was that special. And Gavin matched an inning for an inning. And like I said, just a really well-pitched game on both sides and really one mistake all night, and Manzo didn't miss it.”
Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk about all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
The pitching matchup exceeded all expectations as Williams and Sanchez put together one of the best pitcher’s duels in recent memory.
And, in the end, it was the Guardians who snuck away with a 1-0 victory.
All eyes were on Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez, who came into his start against the Cleveland with a streak of 29.2 scoreless innings. The last time the left-hander gave up a run was on April 30th.
That continued against the Guardians, with Sanchez turning in another eight scoreless innings of work, and allowed just six base runners throughout the night.
However, Williams went toe-to-toe with the Cy Young runner-up from a year ago and turned in one of the best starts of his career against the star-studded lineup. Just like Sanchez, Williams didn’t allow a run in 8.0 innings, also allowed four hits, but Cleveland’s starters didn’t issue a walk and struck out 11 hitters.
The key to Williams’ dominance and double-digit strikeouts was his sweeper, which generated 10 swings and misses.
“I kind of worked on it, I mean, right before the game, and, ing my midweek pen, too,” explained Williams about his sweeper after the game. ”I was just trying to get it back into the metrics I wanted, the shape I wanted, so that it definitely helped out.”
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May 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
After Williams and Sanchez delivered blow after blow and tried to one-up each other after each frame, the Guardians and Phillies entered the ninth inning tied at zero. All night long, it felt like the difference in a win or a loss for either club would come down to one run, and that’s exactly how it played out.
After each starter had exited the game, a familiar face for Cleveland in Jhoan Duran, who was at one point the Minnesota Twins closer, took the mound for the Phillies, attempting to keep the game on ice.
However, Kyle Manzardo went swinging at the first pitch of a pinch-hit at-bat, and sent a ball over the left field wall for a solo home run to give the Guardians a late 1-0 lead.
This was the first matchup since 1988 (when pitches were first tracked) that both starters threw 8.0 or more innings, allowed zero runs, struck out six or more batters, and each threw under 100 pitches (per OptaStats on X).
"Man, what a beautiful game. If you like pitching, you would have really liked tonight's game,” said manager Stephen Vogt.
“I mean, you know, Sanchez was that special. And Gavin matched an inning for an inning. And like I said, just a really well-pitched game on both sides and really one mistake all night, and Manzo didn't miss it.”
Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk about all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
Continue reading...
