J-Ram walks off Jays after hitting franchise games played milestone

CLEVELAND -- José Ramírez moved into fourth place in Cleveland franchise history in games played on Wednesday night, so it was only fitting that he found a way to celebrate.

Ramírez cracked a walk-off single in the 10th inning, leading the Guardians to a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays at Progressive Field.

Ramírez (who also hit an RBI single in the first inning) played in his 1,527th career game for Cleveland. He passed Jim Hegan, and Ramírez now trails only Terry Turner (1,626), Nap Lajoie (1,615) and Lou Boudreau (1,560) on the franchise’s all-time list.

That bit of history was only one storyline during an eventful evening at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. Here are three keys to the Guardians’ win.

J-Ram takes care of business

There was a feeling of inevitability when Ramírez stepped to the plate in the 10th inning, after the Guardians had loaded the bases with none out for their superstar third baseman.

Ramírez got an 0-1 sweeper from Toronto lefty Mason Fluharty out over the plate, and he lined it into left field for the walk-off knock. The base hit was Ramírez’s eight career walk-off plate appearance and his first since May 28, 2023, vs. the Cardinals.

“Hosey up at the plate at any time is exciting,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “But with bases loaded, nobody out in a walk-off situation, [there’s] no one on the planet I'd rather have hitting -- especially [righty-hitting] Hosey.”

Ramírez recognized that the situation he was in called for him not to do too much.

“If I can elevate the ball, we can win the game,” he said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “That's what I like about those situations.”

Don’t overlook David Fry’s role in the winning rally. He laid down a sacrifice bunt with Angel Martínez and Steven Kwan on base, and Fry ultimately reached safely. As Fry showed in Game 4 of the American League Division Series last fall, he can get a bunt down.

“My high school highlight reel would be pretty good on the bunting side,” Fry quipped.

Williams puts a bow on strong month

It may not be hyperbole to say that June was the best month of Gavin Williams’ big league career. In 28 innings over five starts, Williams recorded a 2.57 ERA -- his career best in a single month.

“This is as good as we've seen Gavin, the last month,” Vogt said.

Williams got off to an inconsistent start this season. He had a 5.06 ERA in 32 innings over his first seven starts, three of which were four innings or fewer. In nine starts since, he has a 2.77 ERA over 48 2/3 innings.

Wednesday was Williams’ 16th start this season, matching his single-season career high (2023 and ‘24). He missed the first three months last season due to right elbow inflammation and then posted a 4.86 ERA.

Coming off his six scoreless innings on Thursday in San Francisco, Williams was charged with four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks over 5 1/3 innings. Three of the runs came across in the sixth, when he issued two walks and allowed two base hits.

Williams got a bit of a tough break in the sixth, when Nathan Lukes grounded into a potential inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. Second baseman Daniel Schneemann double clutched on his throw to shortstop Gabriel Arias, whose foot was deemed to have missed second base, after review. Lukes beat Arias’ throw to first.

As good as Williams has been lately, he is not satisfied. He noted he can do a better job of filling up the strike zone and cutting down his walks. Williams leads Guardians starters with 45 this season.

“I think I have a lot of work [to do] still,” Williams said. “Some people think it's good, but in my stance, I think it's all right. I think I can do a lot better than what I did.”

Enright’s first win

Perhaps lost in the walk-off shuffle was Nic Enright picking up his first big league win. With Cade Smith unavailable (back spasms) and Hunter Gaddis having thrown 21 pitches on Tuesday, Vogt called on Enright in the 10th, and he delivered a scoreless inning.

Enright overcame incredible adversity off the field to make his big league debut on May 25. He was diagnosed with Stage 2 nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on Dec. 22, 2022. Enright persevered and has kept pitching through treatments, paving the way for moments such as Wednesday’s.

“It was everything I wanted it to be and more,” Enright said.