Glew: Smith joins 30-save club

Chilliwack Cougars and Junior National Team alum Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) recorded his 30th save of the season for the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.

July 29, 2026

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Cade Smith became the sixth Canadian to record 30 saves in a major league season when he pitched a scoreless ninth inning to secure a 6-5 win for the Cleveland Guardians over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark on Tuesday.

Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.) got outfielder TJ Friedl to pop out to the catcher to open the inning and then struck out shortstop Elly De La Cruz. He followed with a walk to first baseman Sal Stewart before retiring outfielder JJ Bleday on a fly ball to right field to collect the save.

Smith joins an exclusive list of Canucks who have registered 30 saves in a single MLB season. That list includes John Hiller (Toronto, Ont., with the Detroit Tigers in 1973), Eric Gagne (Mascouche, Que., with the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2002-04), Ryan Dempster (Gibsons, B.C., with the Chicago Cubs in 2005), John Axford (Port Dover, Ont., with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2011 and 2012) and Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont., with the Blue Jays in 2022 and 2023).

Smith, who pitched in his first MLB All-Star Game earlier this month, has allowed just one earned run and collected four saves in 10 appearances in July. Opponents are batting just .114 off him this month.

From Apr. 24 to June 3, the 6-foot-5 righty had a string of 16 consecutive appearances with a save. This helped him earn American League Reliever of the Month honours for May.

In all, in his first full campaign as the Guardians’ closer, Smith is 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 48 innings in 49 games.

The Chilliwack Cougars and Junior National Team grad is in his third MLB season after being signed as an amateur free agent by the Guardians in 2020.

Last season, Smith took over as the Guardians’ closer in late July and finished with 16 saves, which was the most by a Canadian major leaguer.