Betts: Smith makes memories at Rogers Centre a decade apart
Chilliwack Cougars and Junior National Team grad Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) recorded his sixth save of the season for the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night in their 8-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Photo: MLB.Com
April 25, 2026
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
He may be from Abbotsford, but Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith is no stranger to Toronto.
Smith’s first trip to the city was back in 2016 when he was selected to participate in the Canadian Futures Showcase (then known as Tournament 12). His 10 strikeouts over five scoreless innings propelled Team BC Orange to a 6-2 victory over Team Prairies Purple, securing a spot in the semifinal.
That was followed by a visit with the Junior National Team prior to the U18 World Cup in 2017 in Thunder Bay.
In 2024, he spun a scoreless inning each in a 3-1 win and 7-6 loss when the Guardians visited the Rogers Centre. The next season, he tossed another scoreless inning in a 5-4 victory.
On Friday night, a decade after arriving as a teenager for T12, he locked down his first ever major league save in his home country to secure an 8-6 victory.
After back-to-back hits from Kazuma Okamoto and Andres Giménez to lead off the ninth inning, Smith induced a double play off the bat of Eloy Jiménez and got Davis Schneider to pop out to second base for his sixth save of the season.
In typical good teammate fashion, he was quick to give credit to the tidy work of the Guardians’ defence.
“It was fun,” Smith said of pitching in Game 1 of the Guardians series at Rogers Centre.
“It’s a huge confidence boost to have a defence behind you playing well, playing hard.”
Smith, and the rest of the Guardians relievers, have a fan in manager Stephen Vogt. Vogt has had a front row seat to watch Smith and fellow Canadian Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) over the past three seasons.
“We love our bullpen,” Vogt said.
“They’ve been great all year, a few hiccups like every bullpen has, but for the most part they’ve been lockdown.”
Veteran catcher Austin Hedges also heaped praise on Cleveland’s two Canadian relievers.
“The work ethic, the consistency, that’s really what it’s about in this game,” Hedges said of both Smith and Sabrowski.
“You play so many games, so many days, to be the same guy everyday is really hard. Those two guys are, they’re the same guy every single day. You know exactly what you’re going to get and we’re proud of them for that because I know that’s really difficult to do.”
Smith acknowledged it’s always special coming to Toronto and back home to Canada, even if it’s a long way from Abbotsford. His father, Tim, is from just outside Mississauga.
Being able to do it alongside Sabrowski and catcher Bo Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) makes it even better.
Although he’d never say it, Smith is a role model for Canadian pitchers looking to follow a similar path.
His advice? Spend time finding what makes you successful.
“Pitching is so individualized,” Smith said.
“It’s a matter of what works for you.”