CLEVELAND — The Guardians have built their October pitching plan around a simple late-game truth: when the game reaches the tense innings, Cade Smith is likely to have the ball. After sitting out Game 2 of the American League Championship Series and benefiting from Wednesday’s open date, Cleveland’s closer is rested for Game 3 against the Rays on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET.
Game 3 will air on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max, with Gavin Williams scheduled to start for Cleveland. But the Guardians’ path through this series, and potentially toward ending a 78-year World Series championship drought, figures to run through the bullpen behind him.
Smith has become Cleveland’s October constant
Smith has appeared in 18 of Cleveland’s last 20 postseason games dating to the start of the 2024 playoffs, a workload no pitcher has matched across any 20-game postseason stretch. He worked every game of the Guardians’ five-game AL Division Series victory over the White Sox, then pitched in Game 1 of the ALCS against Tampa Bay.
His current postseason line leaves little room for complaint: one run allowed, two hits surrendered, 11 strikeouts and 7 2/3 innings. The frequent appearances are not an accident. Smith entered October prepared to be used in whatever capacity manager Stephen Vogt required.
Vogt said Smith made his intentions clear before the postseason began, offering to pitch whenever needed and in any role that could help the club win. The manager acknowledged that he would prefer to find Smith a few more nights off, but conceded that close postseason games have a way of making that difficult.
Smith sees it as part of the job in October. He described the postseason as a do-or-die setting in which every available player must be prepared to contribute.
That approach fits the broader Guardians culture. Smith pointed to the willingness of players to accept lineup changes, bullpen assignments and even starters shifting into relief work, all with the immediate goal of winning that day’s game rather than worrying about individual roles.
A closer’s rise and a record within reach
Smith took over as Cleveland’s full-time closer this season and delivered 41 saves, striking out 107 hitters in 74 innings. His climb is one of the organization’s more remarkable development stories: he signed after going undrafted in the shortened 2020 Draft.
President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said nobody could have predicted every step of Smith’s ascent. Still, Antonetti said that, knowing Smith’s makeup now, there is no one he would trust more to turn such an opportunity into reality.
Smith could continue climbing the postseason appearance list if Cleveland stays alive deep into October. Blue Jays closer Louis Varland established the postseason mark last year with 15 appearances during Toronto’s 18-game march to Game 7 of the World Series. Smith is on the same kind of pace, though reaching that total would require a lengthy Guardians run.
Gaddis gives Cleveland another bridge
Smith is not carrying the relief corps alone. Hunter Gaddis also appeared in all five Division Series games and in Game 1 against the Rays. Working ahead of Smith, Gaddis has thrown 5 1/3 scoreless innings this postseason with seven strikeouts.
That pairing gives Cleveland a formidable way to shorten games. Tampa Bay owns a capable bullpen as well, led by breakout closer Bryan Baker, but the Guardians have reason to feel comfortable when a game is even in the seventh inning.
After the Game 1 victory at Tropicana Field, Patrick Bailey called Cleveland’s bullpen the best in baseball. Williams offered the same kind of respect, saying the relievers’ ability to answer the call so often is remarkable, particularly given the physical strain of repeated October outings.
For the Guardians, the formula is clear. Williams and Rookie of the Year candidate Parker Messick represent the headline names in Cleveland’s pitching development pipeline, but Smith has become one of its defining successes. If the Guardians are going to keep advancing, Vogt will continue handing the ball to Smith whenever the ninth inning — or the biggest moment before it — arrives.
