LOS ANGELES (Interstat) — Gavin Williams overpowered one of baseball’s most formidable lineups with a career-high 10 strikeouts over seven dominant innings, and José Ramírez provided the necessary offense with a decisive three-run homer, leading the Cleveland Guardians to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

In a marquee pitching matchup that lived up to its billing for six innings, Williams outdueled Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto to help the Guardians secure a series split in front of a crowd of 45,556. The game, which lasted 2 hours and 27 minutes, defied pregame projections that heavily favored the Dodgers, who were given a 66.1% win probability by Interstat’s ELO system and were installed as 1.5-run favorites.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded in the top of the eighth inning, breaking open what had been a tense, 2-0 contest. With Dodgers reliever Will Klein on the mound, Steven Kwan and Angel Martínez worked back-to-back walks with one out. That brought Ramírez to the plate, and the Guardians’ star third baseman launched a 1-0 offering deep over the left-field wall for a three-run shot, his first home run of the season. The blast effectively sealed the game, stretching Cleveland’s lead to four runs and providing crucial insurance.

Until that moment, the story was entirely about pitching. Williams, coming off a loss in Seattle where he allowed three earned runs, was virtually untouchable. He surrendered just two hits, both singles to Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages, and did not issue a walk. The right-hander expertly navigated a lineup featuring Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, inducing weak contact and racking up strikeouts. He struck out the side in the fifth and finished his outing by retiring the final six batters he faced.

His counterpart, Yamamoto, was nearly as sharp but was undone by one mistake in the third inning. After Daniel Schneemann led off with a double, Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias connected on a Yamamoto fastball, sending it over the center-field fence for a two-run homer, his first of the year. That provided all the support Williams would ultimately need. Yamamoto finished with six innings of work, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out two.

The Dodgers’ offense, which had averaged over five runs per game in its first five contests, was stifled by Williams and stymied by double plays. Los Angeles grounded into three twin killings, snuffing out potential rallies in the first, fourth and sixth innings. A successful Cleveland challenge in the sixth turned what was initially ruled an infield single for Ohtani into another inning-ending double play.

Los Angeles finally broke through in the ninth against Guardians closer Cade Smith. With two outs, Freeman crushed a solo home run to center field, preventing the shutout. Shawn Armstrong and Erik Sabrowski then combined to record the final out, securing Cleveland’s fourth win of the young season.

Pages was a bright spot for the Dodgers, going 3 for 3 with a double. For Cleveland, Bo Naylor added two hits.

With the win, Cleveland improved to 4-3 on the season, while the Dodgers fell to 4-2. Williams earned his first win of the year, moving to 1-1, while Yamamoto took the loss, also moving to 1-1.

The Guardians now head home to open a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday. The Dodgers embark on a six-game road trip, beginning with a three-game set against the Washington Nationals, also on Friday.