Smith's K's milestone quantifies continued dominance for Guards

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BALTIMORE -- There are many ways to describe Cade Smith's outing against the Tigers on Sunday. The Guardians’ closer struck out five of the six batters he faced over two scoreless innings, with 24 of his 27 pitches landing as strikes.

Smith’s performance was surgical. It was dominant. It was overwhelming. But a surprise? Nope.

“You're not surprised,” outfielder Steven Kwan said. “When people hit him, it's more like, ‘How did they hit him?’ As opposed to like, ‘Wow, I can't believe he struck out five.’ It's just kind of what we've been used to. We've been spoiled by his performances.”

Sunday was emblematic of what we’ve witnessed since Smith made his MLB debut on March 30, 2024. This is one of the most overpowering pitchers in baseball, and his strikeout numbers back it up. Smith’s fifth punchout on Sunday was No. 300 in his big league career, which he reached in just 213 innings over 210 appearances.

After Smith struck out shortstop John Peck swinging to end the top of the 10th inning, he secured the baseball as a memento of his achievement.

“It's very cool,” said Smith, who has a 2.25 ERA and 35 saves in 60 appearances this season. “It’s something that I take a little bit of quiet pleasure in. But what I take more pride in is being able to be called upon to help the team in situations where it's tight and where it matters.”

The Guardians have called upon Smith that way the past three seasons. He was one of the game’s top relievers in 2024 and ‘25, before establishing himself as an All-Star closer in '26, in his first season in the role. His 300-strikeout achievement is just one figure reflective of his success.

Entering Monday, Smith held a 35.3% strikeout rate and had 12.68 strikeouts per nine innings in his career. Only Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski ranked higher (36.3% strikeout rate, 12.79 strikeouts per nine innings) since the start of the 2024 season, among pitchers who had thrown 200 innings.

Smith also ranked second among relievers in strikeouts since 2024, trailing Padres closer Mason Miller (319 in 187 innings).

“We've been so fortunate to watch him for three years,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He’s the same person every day. It's the same demeanor on the mound. It's the same presence. The whole league knows what he's going to do, and they still can't hit him.”

This spring, Kwan stood in the batter’s box against Smith for the first time. It was part of a workout early in Spring Training, when pitchers were beginning to get loose and hitters were beginning to see pitches.

“He throws a ball, and I was like, ‘Did he just throw that at 100 [mph]?’ And I look back and they're like, ‘95.4 [mph],’” Kwan said. “Something with his motion, you see it out of the hand and then you lose it for a second, which is crazy."

Smith ranks in the 99th percentile in MLB in extension, which is the point at which a pitcher releases an offering. It helps his four-seamer (which averages 97.5 mph) play up a few ticks in the eyes of hitters. That pitch also initially appears the same as his splitter coming out of his hand, but he works low in the zone with the latter.

That puts opponents in a tough position to make a decision on what to target, which is made no easier when Smith sneaks in a low heater. You can see why he entered Monday tied for first in MLB with White Sox reliever Grant Taylor for the lowest average bat speed against (70.9 mph).

“It kind of feels like a helpless at-bat,” Kwan said.

Smith transitioning to closer this season has been key for the Guardians, who rely upon run prevention to win ballgames, being in the mix for a postseason berth. Smith has been a force, and his presence will continue to loom large in the pressure-packed stretch run and beyond.

It’ll be no surprise to see him meet the challenge.

“It's the same job to be able to go out there, put up a zero, keep the game close, keep the lead, protect the lead,” Smith said. “That's what we're down there to fight for. I know our guys take a lot of pride in that.

"It's so much fun to be in positions where it's meaningful innings and meaningful games that we're playing. That's exactly where we are with three weeks left in the regular season. We're right where we need to be. Just keep it going.”