Pitchers work to refine their pitches all the time in the offseason so they are ready to use them during Cactus League games in spring training. Tinkering during the season is a more difficult task, yet that is exactly what Guardians starter Gavin Williams has done between starts recently.
“My hands are right at my chest level to create more length with my arm path,” Williams explained. “It’s definitely strange. I’ve done it in the past. I’m trying to get back to it.
“It’s very difficult (to adjust), especially going back to the old ways I used to have. It can get frustrating at times, but I still have to do it.”
This is Williams’ third season with the Guardians and so far his best. He made 16 starts as a rookie and was 3-5 with a 3.29 ERA in 2023. Williams suffered right elbow inflammation during spring training last year and did not make his 2024 debut until July 3. He made 16 starts for the second straight year and finished 3-10 with a 4.86 ERA.
Coincidentally, Williams has made 16 starts in 2025. He is 5-3 with a 3.68 ERA. Over his last five starts he has allowed 0, 3, 2, 0 and 3 earned runs. Manager Stephen Vogt credits pitching coach Carl Willis with convincing Williams to alter his delivery.
“What’s beautiful about our players and Carl and the pitching team is there’s such a huge level of trust that they’ve built through their relationship,” Vogt said. “You don’t find that everywhere.
“They (the pitchers) know (the coaches) are not going to throw something at them that they can’t handle. They know they’re not going to come up with an idea that is going to be detrimental to them. Carl’s been doing that in this game for a really long time.”
Williams has worked hard to improve his cutter. Vogt said opposing batters don’t know until the last split-second whether Williams has thrown a four-seam fastball, cutter or sinker.
“Anytime pitchers have two or three fastballs, they (batters) have to make a decision and it’s not until late that you can really pick up which one it is,” Vogt said. “So when it’s Gavin throwing 95 to 98 with cut or forcing or sink, you have to make a decision and you have to make it early. By their swings they’re telling us that they can’t pick up what the cutter’s doing.”
Williams’ next scheduled start is July 1 against the Cubs in Chicago.
Biz Mackey helped jumpstart baseball in Japan
Each week, this portion of the Cleveland Beat features a player from the 19th or 20th centuries known better by his nickname than his given name.
James Raleigh Mackey, a catcher, shortstop and first baseman, played in the Negro Leagues from 1920-47. He is best known for his years as a catcher. He got the nickname “Biz” because he continually talked to opposing batters, “giving them the business,” when they stepped to the plate.
Mackey is in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. He had a lifetime batting average of .328 with 52 home runs and 604 RBI.
This comes from Mackey’s Hall of Fame bio:
“I’ve pitched to some great catchers, but my goodness, that Mackey was to my idea the best one I pitched to,” said Hall of Fame hurler Hilton Smith. “The way he handled you, the way he just built you up, believing in yourself. He was marvelous.”
Mackey was also a manager. He is credited with helping fellow Negro League players Larry Doby, Roy Campanella and Monty Irvin make it to the Major Leagues.
“In my opinion, Biz Mackey was the master of defense of all catchers,” Campanella said in the Hall of Fame bio. “When I was a kid in Philadelphia, I saw both Mackey and Mickey Cochrane in their primes, but for real catching skills, I don’t think Cochrane was the master of defense that Mackey was.”
Mackey led the Philadelphia Royal Giants on a goodwill baseball tour in Japan in 1927. Baseball was already being played in Japan, but the visit helped grow the game. Mackey hit the first home run in Meiji Shrine Stadium.
Later in the game, Mackey was hit by a pitch. As a form of apology, the pitcher bowed to Mackey. Mackey then bowed to the pitcher. The exchange made deadlines in Japanese newspapers.