Guardians Top Dodgers as Williams Outduels Yamamoto

Cleveland pitcher Gavin Williams dominates in 4-1 win over Los Angeles

Apr. 2, 2026 at 7:39am

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In a matchup of two of the top pitchers in baseball, Gavin Williams of the Cleveland Guardians outdueled Yoshinobu Yamamoto of the Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out 10 in seven scoreless innings to lead the Guardians to a 4-1 victory. José Ramírez and Gabriel Arias homered for Cleveland, who took two of three games in the series.

Why it matters

This was an important early-season win for the Guardians, who are looking to build on their success from last year and challenge the Dodgers and other top teams in the National League. Williams' dominant outing showed he can match up with the league's elite pitchers, while the Guardians' offense provided just enough support.

The details

Williams struck out 10 Dodgers hitters and allowed just three hits over his seven scoreless innings. Yamamoto, the reigning World Series MVP, gave up four runs on six hits in six innings of work. Ramírez and Arias provided the power for the Guardians, with each hitting a solo home run.

  • The game was played on Wednesday, April 2, 2026.

The players

Gavin Williams

The starting pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians, who struck out 10 batters in seven scoreless innings.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who was the reigning World Series MVP.

José Ramírez

The Guardians' star hitter, who hit a solo home run in the game.

Gabriel Arias

A Guardians player who also hit a solo home run in the game.

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What they’re saying

“Gavin was outstanding today. He really set the tone for us and gave us a chance to win the game.”

— Terry Francona, Guardians Manager

What’s next

The Guardians will look to continue their strong start to the season when they return home to face the Chicago White Sox this weekend.

The takeaway

This was an impressive win for the Guardians, who showed they can compete with the top teams in the league behind the strong pitching of Gavin Williams and timely hitting from their offense.