One decision can change the course of a postseason, and for the Cleveland Guardians, the decision to rest Gavin Williams proved costly when the Guardians lost Game 6, eliminating any chance for Game 7. After Williams struck out nine in Game 3, Stephen Vogt preserved him for a potential Game 7 rather than start Monday’s must-win. The bullpen gamble quickly unraveled as Richie Palacios’ two-run double in the second inning put Tampa Bay ahead, leaving Cleveland’s overworked relievers struggling to contain the damage.

Former World Series champion Nick Swisher had urged the Guardians to take things one game at a time, but Vogt’s decision to look ahead to Game 7 left Cleveland fighting for survival. Williams had every reason to be frustrated, and he made little effort to hide it after the game.

“Yeah, I mean, baseball’s tough. Everybody wants to win every game and try to win every game, but it doesn’t come out that way. Yeah, it definitely s—- watching [the Rays celebrate]. Nobody wants to watch that,” Mason Horodyski quoted Williams.

Workload management was the primary reason Vogt rested Williams. Starting him on Monday would have meant throwing on just three days’ rest following his dominant Game 3 start. Yoshinobu Yamamoto showed that pitching consecutive games is possible when the situation demands it. During a high-stakes postseason run, Yamamoto threw six innings in Game 6 of the 2025 World Series and volunteered to pitch out of the bullpen the very next night in Game 7 to help secure the championship.

Still, managing workload may not be the only reason behind keeping Williams out of Game 6. “Williams’ max velo in Game 3 was 99.2 mph in the first inning. It fell to 95.4 mph in his fifth and final inning. One explanation for why they aren’t pushing him on short rest, even in a win-or-go-home,” MLB analyst Tim Stebbins said.

Yet the irony deepens: Williams had already pitched in consecutive games against the ChigacoWhite Sox in the ALDS.

The high-powered White Sox offense stunned Progressive Field by taking both opening games, putting the Guardians on the brink of elimination. Fighting for survival in Chicago, the Guardians took Game 3 and set up a wild, high-stakes Game 4. Leading late in Game 4, manager Stephen Vogt made the highly unusual decision to push his planned Game 5 starter into emergency duty.

With Game 4 hanging in the balance at a 9-5 score, Williams stepped out of the bullpen for his first professional relief appearance. He threw 18 high-intensity pitches to secure the final three outs, forcing the winner-take-all Game 5. Just 48 hours later, he started Game 5 and delivered one of the greatest pitching performances in Cleveland history.

Williams carried a no-hitter into the 6th inning, ultimately throwing 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, and racking up 12 strikeouts, tying the franchise postseason record. Yet none of this convinced Vogt to use Williams when it mattered most.

“This hurts. This stings. Felt like we really had a team to go, and just weren’t able to get there,” Vogt said.

Apart from their controversial pitching decision, the Guardians’ offensive struggle also proved costly on Monday.

The Guardians’ offensive struggle left exposed

Game 6 marked the fifth consecutive game in the series where Cleveland scored three runs or fewer. For a team reliant on a heavily taxed bullpen, the lack of run support left virtually no margin for error.

Monday was no different from their season-long trend, as Cleveland’s bats only woke up when the game was nearly out of reach. They managed a brief rally in the bottom of the eighth inning to score two runs and load the bases with two outs. However, the comeback effort was quickly extinguished when Brayan Rocchio struck out on three pitches.

The collapse highlighted deep-seated roster issues that the front office had tried, but ultimately failed, to fix at the trade deadline. Mid-season acquisitions like first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and outfielder Jo Adell were brought in to inject power and experience into the lineup, but neither found the consistency needed to carry the offense through October.

As a result, the Guardians’ World Series drought now extends to 78 years. Still, their dominant 2026 run should hopefully make way for a better roster next year.