Cade Smith did not hold back when describing what it feels like to be part of a Cleveland bullpen that has turned into a walk-off machine down the stretch, framing the recent surge of dramatic finishes as something much bigger than just a string of exciting endings.
Smith has been at the center of that stretch himself, picking up the win in Sunday’s extra-inning victory over Detroit after entering in the ninth inning and retiring six consecutive batters to keep the game within reach. That outing came on the heels of a weekend that saw Cleveland win three separate times in walk-off fashion against the Tigers, capping what has become the club’s seventh walk-off victory of the season. Smith reflected on what these moments mean for a Guardians team pushing toward the postseason.
“A walk-off win is so much fun, but there’s more to it than that. We’re in the hunt. It’s starting to feel like fall is coming and we’re chasing playoff baseball; we’re right on the cusp. To have energy like that in the ballpark. For us to grind and rally and come back and win like that is so much fun. It speaks to the group that we have in the clubhouse and makes it exciting to see what comes next,” Smith said.
The numbers back up exactly what Smith was describing. Cleveland has won 11 of its last 17 games, and the club’s extra-inning record now sits at 7-5 on the season, a mark built largely on the kind of late-inning composure that turned all three of this past weekend’s contests against Detroit into signature victories. Smith himself has become a critical piece of that late-game formula, providing the kind of shutdown relief work that allows Cleveland’s offense the time it needs to complete these dramatic comebacks.
With the Guardians now shifting focus toward a three-game series against Baltimore, Smith’s comments capture the mindset of a team that understands exactly what is at stake over these final few weeks.
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