Williams moved up the Dodgers ladder quickly, making it from short-season Great Falls in 1991 to Triple A Albuquerque by 1993, and made his big-league debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 29, 1995 against the Atlanta Braves, retiring all three batters he faced. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics four months later, on Sept, 8, 1995, spending the 1996 season at Triple-A Edmonton where he was used in varied roles, including making 10 of what would be just 12 career starts.