Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams' perfect game attempt nearly broken up by Diamondbacks bunt, causing benches to empty

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams joined an exclusive trio with his performance in Sunday's 5-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Williams notched 10 strikeouts and allowed 1 walk across 5 2/3 innings. It was his fifth consecutive start with 10 or more strikeouts and only 1 walk, making him the third pitcher in MLB history to put together such a streak.

Clayton Kershaw had a streak of six such starts in 2016 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chris Sale had five straight 10K/1 BB games when he pitched for the Boston Red Sox, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs.

Following Sunday's effort, Williams has a 3.56 ERA and 11-6 record with 178 strikeouts in 139 innings this season.

Williams also became the second pitcher in six seasons to have five straight games with 10-plus strikeouts, joining Shohei Ohtani in 2022. Williams’ five-game run included recording an immaculate inning in his July 23 start versus the Minnesota Twins.

However, Williams' achievement was overshadowed by one of baseball's longtime debates.

Breaking one of baseball's unwritten rules

Sunday's game came with some additional spice, as Williams took a perfect game into the sixth inning. Then Diamondbacks center fielder Tim Tawa attempted to get his team's first hit of the game with a bunt.

The attempt went foul, but Tawa's intention violated one of baseball's unwritten rules, and the Guardians were upset about it.

Both catcher Patrick Bailey and shortstop Brayan Rocchio complained to Tawa about trying to break up Williams' perfect game with a bunt. It became a moot point on the next pitch, when Tawa hit a sweeper in the middle of the strike zone for a single.

Williams retired Ildemaro Vargas on a groundout and struck out Tyler Locklear as rain began to fall heavily at Progressive Field. The conditions became more difficult while Williams got ahead of Corbin Carroll on a one-ball, two-strikes count, and he then threw three consecutive pitches far out of the strike zone, the third being a wild pitch.

With more rain falling and the field becoming soaked, umpires called for the grounds crew to roll out the tarp and cover the infield. As the tarp was being secured, Guardians third-base coach Rouglas Odor, manager Stephen Vogt and several players revisited the matter of Tawa's bunt attempt, and both dugouts emptied onto the field.

Vogt and D-backs manager Torey Lovullo could be seen arguing about the bunt at home plate as a scrum gathered around them. No scuffles ensued, though coaches and players were being held back by teammates as the game went into a rain delay.

Whether a team being held hitless should attempt to get that first hit with a bunt has been one of baseball's longtime debates. Traditionalists say bunting in that situation violates an unwritten rule. Others argue that a hitter's job is to get on base. If that means laying down a bunt, so be it.

At least twice in MLB history, a perfect game was broken up by a bunt single. In 2001, Ben Davis of the San Diego Padres bunted to end Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's perfect game in the eighth inning. In 2017, Jarrod Dyson broke up Justin Verlander's perfect game in the sixth inning of a game between the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers.

This argument escalated further in 2019, when Ben Bowden of the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats took a combined no-hitter into the ninth inning. Down 3-0, the Trenton Thunder's Matt Lipka laid down a bunt for a single with one out. That was Trenton's only hit of the game, and after the final out, both benches emptied onto the field to dispute the matter.

After that game, MLB.com's Matt Kelly and David Adler asked 30 major leaguers whether a bunt to break up a no-hitter or perfect game is acceptable. Opinions were nearly split down the middle, with 14 players saying it was a fair tactic and 16 saying it violated a baseball code.

That debate can now continue after the uproar in Cleveland.