What happened: Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams delivered a historic performance, striking out 12 batters to tie a The dominant outing came immediately after Williams was called upon to close out Game 4.

Why it matters: Pitching in consecutive playoff games is exceptionally rare, but racking up a dozen strikeouts in a decisive elimination game elevates the same Gavin Williams tapped for the Game 5 start to another tier. His ability to miss bats at this volume under immense pressure gives Cleveland a massive advantage advancing into the championship series.