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MEI grad becomes first Canadian to capture honour since 2003
Abbotsford's Cade Smith celebrates with his teammates after his 41st save helped clinch a playoff berth for the Cleveland Guardians. Abbotsford’s Cade Smith is the 2026 Major League Baseball saves king and is the first Canadian to earn the honour since Eric Gagne of the Los Angeles Dodgers did so in 2003.
Smith recorded 41 saves for the Cleveland Guardians this season and that tied for the most in baseball in 2026 with Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays. The 41 saves are the most by any pitcher from British Columbia in one season. The previous record was 33 by Sechelt’s Ryan Dempster with the Chicago Cubs in 2005. He recorded his 41st by striking out the side to help Cleveland defeat the Boston Red Sox 1-0 on Thursday .
That win also clinched a playoff berth for the Guardians. Smith had six saves this month to help Cleveland win the American League Central Division for the third consecutive year.
“It comes down to the guys in this clubhouse,” he said following Thursday’s playoff clinching win. “The group that we have here, top to bottom, we’re doing everything in our power to win. ” He pointed to last year’s late run to make the playoffs as valuable experience that the team used to fuel this year’s performance.
Cleveland finished with a record of 85-77 and already qualified for the American League Divisional Series for having the second-best divisional winner record in the league. They open that series at home starting on Oct. 3. Cade Smith leads all pitchers in win probability added at 4.74, backed by a 1.95 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 74 innings. Mason Miller is next at 4.59 with a 1.67 ERA, Jacob Misiorowski third at 4.16 with 247 punchies.
His final numbers for the season were excellent, as he posted a record of 6-1, an earned run average of 1.95 and a walks plus hits per inning pitched of 0.90. Smith also recorded 107 strikeouts and only blew five save opportunities. The 27-year-old made his first all-star appearance this summer and struck out Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper in the midsummer classic. He became the first-ever athlete from Abbotsford to participate in the MLB All-Star Game.
He was also named the A.L. reliever of the month back in May after recording 13 saves. The MEI grad played locally for the Abbotsford Cardinals and was initially drafted by the Minnesota Twins in round 16 of the 2017 draft. Smith opted not to sign with the Twins and played college baseball at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
He went on to sign with Cleveland in 2020 and made his way through the team’s minor league system before joining the Guardians in 2024. His rookie season saw him place fifth in voting for the A.L. rookie of the year and ninth in the A.L. Cy Young voting. It’s likely that Smith will again receive some Cy Young consideration this year after his strong season.
Last year saw Cleveland fall in the wild card round to the Detroit Tigers and the franchise is seeking its first World Series since 1948 – which is the longest active title drought in baseball.
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