The Royals were set to face the Guardians with Noah Cameron making his final regular-season start against Gavin Williams. Cleveland had clinched a playoff berth but still led the White Sox by one game in the division race, with Chicago holding the tiebreaker.
The preview said Williams was strong at generating chases and swings and misses, but less effective when batters made contact. In two earlier starts against Kansas City, he allowed one run over 5⅔ innings with eight strikeouts and five walks, then took a loss after giving up five runs in six innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. The Royals scored those five runs on eight hits, including two doubles and two home runs.
