CLEVELAND -- The expectation is unfair, Erik Sabrowski acknowledged. But can you blame him and his Guardians teammates?
When the bullpen doors open and Cade Smith begins his trot to center stage to close out a game for the Guardians, they expect perfection is imminent.
“It's probably very unfair of us, but yes,” Sabrowski said. “He’s good, plain and simple. He’s really freaking good.”
Smith was as sure-fire of a closer as any in baseball this season, when he earned his first career All-Star nod and finished tied for the MLB lead with 41 saves. He’s been lockdown in the postseason, helping the Guardians inch closer to a World Series berth.
Smith picked up a four-out save on Thursday to secure the Guardians’ 3-2 win over the Rays in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. He retired each of the four batters he faced, and he extinguished a potential game-tying rally by the Rays in the eighth.
“Cade's been nails all year,” starter Gavin Williams said. “We know what he's going to do. We know what to expect from Cade. Honestly, nothing fazes Cade. He shows no emotion, and I love that from him. But he's special in every aspect of his life.”
The Guardians led, 3-2, in the eighth behind a massive two-run homer by Petey Halpin and a sharp pitching performance by Williams and the Cleveland bullpen. The Rays put the tying run in scoring position when Richie Palacios doubled off Hunter Gaddis with one out before advancing to third on a Taylor Walls groundout.
Manager Stephen Vogt forecast entering the postseason that the Guards would use Smith in situations beyond the ninth inning. Every out counts in October, and Smith is as trustworthy as anyone on Cleveland's pitching staff. Vogt called his number in that spot, with the Rays’ lineup turning over.
Smith entered to face leadoff man Yandy Díaz, who fouled off five two-strike offerings, including four straight after the count ran to 1-2. On the 10th pitch of the sequence, Smith challenged him with a 98 mph four-seamer up in the zone.
Diáz fanned on it to end the inning as the Progressive Field crowd popped.
“Hats off to him,” Smith said of Díaz. “That was a great at-bat. That's one of the things that makes baseball so exciting, is that there are these moments where it's really tooth and nail and the war of attrition.”
Smith said he and catcher Patrick Bailey sat down between innings to discuss how they wanted to approach the ninth. They figured the Tampa Bay hitters would come out aggressive, seeking to tie the game.
Smith quickly got Jonathan Aranda to fly out to Halpin in center to bring Junior Caminero, an AL MVP Award contender this season, to the plate.
“For Caminero, in that instance,” Smith said, “we wanted to start him off with a splitter and then see what that would tell us, and then go from there.”
Caminero whiffed on a first-pitch splitter in the zone, and he then chased one in the dirt for strike two. He laid off a similar offering the next pitch, but Smith struck him out on a four-seamer up and in for the second out.
Victor Mesa Jr. flied out to left fielder Steven Kwan in foul territory to end the game.
Smith had two days of rest entering Thursday. It was well-earned. He has now appeared in seven of the Guardians’ eight games this postseason. Since his 2024 rookie season, he has appeared in 19 of Cleveland’s 21 playoff contests.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Smith is the only pitcher in postseason history to appear in 19 or more games in a 21-team-game span.
“It's the same every day. He does not waver, he does not change,” Vogt said. “He's diligent and … has been on the same routine [since] probably Spring Training, as well. When you stay consistent with your routines, you get consistent performance.”