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By Mallory Mattingly
The Cleveland Guardians sit at 32-24 through the first half of the season and currently boast the top spot in the American League Central with a 3.5 game lead. Closing pitcher Cade Smith plays a big part in the team’s success.
According to Sports Spectrum, the closing pitcher is “leading all of MLB with 18 saves so far in 2026, which is already a career high. The 27-year-old Canadian has finished 23 of his 25 appearances on the season, allowing only one home run and five walks in 25.2 innings pitched.”
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Smith’s identity in the Lord contributes to his outstanding play on the mound.
“The first and most important thing is that I’m confident and certain that my identity is not based in baseball,” he told Guardians TV last year. “My identity is based in my faith, and that’s something that can’t be taken from me, and it can’t be shaped by the highs and lows of this game, whether I go out and perform or whether I fail, because I am going to fail.”
Related: Guardians Player David Fry Won Game After This Prayer
Smith takes the Bible with him each time he steps on the field. He has 1 Corinthians 6:11 inscribed on his glove.
The verse reads, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
“Does anyone know this verse off the top of their head?” Smith asked a group of fans while signing autographs last season. “This is one of my favorite verses, because basically [verses] nine and 10 are a statement of universal condemnation…It means everyone sins. No one’s good enough. You’re not getting to Heaven on your own. Verse 11 starts, ‘and that’s what you guys were, but you were washed, justified and sanctified by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.’
“Regardless of how any outing goes — up or down, if I succeed or I struggle or I do really bad — I know that I’m not actually a pitcher. I’m washed. I’m justified. I’m sanctified. And those are things that no one can take from me,” he emphasized.
Later that season, Smith echoed those same themes in an on-field interview.
“The absolute biggest thing for me is my faith,” he declared, “because I know who I am in Jesus Christ. I know my relationship with Him. I’m justified, washed and sanctified, and so what I do on the baseball field doesn’t affect that.”
As the Guardians prepare for the last half of the season, Smith aims to keep his focus on the Lord as he continues to be the MLB’s leader in saves.
Read Next: ‘Ask Me About My Jesus’: Boston Red Sox Pitcher Shines Faith On and Off the Field
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