Gavin Williams’ Near No-Hitter Was the Defining Moment of the Guardians’ 2025 Season
The Cleveland Guardians had their share of standout pitching performances in 2025, but one start towered above the rest-and nearly carved out a place in franchise history.
On August 6 at Citi Field, Gavin Williams came within two outs of delivering Cleveland’s first no-hitter in more than four decades. In a dominant outing against the New York Mets, the 6-foot-6 right-hander flirted with history, ultimately surrendering a solo homer in the ninth but leaving no doubt about his arrival as a frontline starter.
Williams’ masterpiece was recently named the Guardians’ top single-game performance of the 2025 season-and it’s easy to see why.
Let’s set the stage: Cleveland was in the thick of a second-half playoff push, and Williams was facing a Mets lineup that featured some serious firepower. He opened the game with a scare-Francisco Lindor, the former Cleveland star, smoked a line drive that deflected off Williams’ glove.
But the righty recovered, calmly fielded the ball, and threw out Lindor at first. From that point forward, Williams was locked in.
The walks were a factor-four in total-but Williams worked around them with poise and precision. His fastball had life, his breaking stuff kept hitters guessing, and he showed the kind of mound presence you don’t always see from a pitcher in just his third MLB season.
By the time the ninth inning rolled around, the Guardians were up 4-0, and the no-hitter was still intact. Williams struck out Lindor to start the frame, one of his six punchouts on the day.
Then came Juan Soto. On a 1-0 count, Williams left a four-seam fastball out over the outer half, and Soto did what elite hitters do-he drove it out of the park.
Just like that, the no-hit bid was over. But the performance?
Still unforgettable.
Williams finished the night with 8 2/3 innings pitched, 126 pitches thrown (75 for strikes), and just one hit allowed. After Soto’s homer, he got Pete Alonso to fly out before handing the ball to Hunter Gaddis, who recorded the final out.
The Guardians won 4-1, but the story was Williams-and what this outing said about his growth.
This wasn’t just a one-off gem. It was a microcosm of Williams’ breakout 2025 campaign. He wrapped the year with a 12-5 record and a 3.06 ERA over 31 starts, anchoring a rotation that played a massive role in Cleveland’s improbable run to the AL Central crown.
Yes, the Guardians’ postseason ended sooner than they hoped. Williams took the ball in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Detroit Tigers but came up short, and Cleveland ultimately lost the series. Still, the bigger picture is hard to ignore.
Alongside emerging arms like Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi, and Joey Cantillo, Williams has helped form one of the most promising young rotations in the American League. And that August night in New York? It wasn’t just a highlight-it was a statement.
The Guardians may be taking a quiet approach to the offseason so far, but with a core of young arms like this, there’s plenty of reason for optimism in Cleveland. If Williams continues on this trajectory, that 44-year no-hitter drought might not last much longer.