Fayetteville native Gavin Williams took the mound Wednesday as the starting pitcher for MLB’s Cleveland Guardians against the Oakland Athletics.
Donning a red No. 63 jersey at Progressive Field, Williams fired a 97 mph fastball on his first pitch as a big leaguer. The Cape Fear High School alum and former star at East Carolina picked up his first big league strikeout with a nasty slider to end the top of the first inning.
Williams exited the game in the sixth inning with the game tied at 4. He made it 5 ⅔ innings with a no decision, allowing four runs, four hits and three walks with four strikeouts on 84 pitches.
More than 55 friends and family members made the trip to watch Williams in his major league debut. The 23-year-old righty had a welcome-to-the-show moment in the third inning when he allowed four consecutive hits – including a three-run homer – and walked off the mound in a 4-0 hole.
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But the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder didn’t allow a hit the rest of the way, exiting the game in the top of the sixth after a two-out walk. Williams received a rousing ovation from fans as he made his way to the dugout.
Ranked as Cleveland’s No. 1 prospect by MLB.com, Williams was called up to join the Guardians on Tuesday. He became the highest MLB Draft pick in Cumberland County history when he was selected in the first round with the No. 23 overall pick by Cleveland in 2021.
Williams had 81 strikeouts with a 2.39 ERA in 60 ⅓ innings as a Triple-A pitcher.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at [email protected] or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: How Gavin Williams pitched in MLB debut with Cleveland Guardians