CLEVELAND — The sixth inning arrived in between the Yankees and the Guardians, and it was once again rookie right-hander Cade Smith’s turn to pitch for Cleveland. For the third time in three games, Smith was summoned by manager Stephen Vogt to handle the monster middle of New York’s batting order: Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. It’s a tall task on paper for any reliever, but Smith’s sensational debut campaign as Cleveland’s breakout bullpen ace had instilled ample confidence that the hard-throwing 25-year-old would be up for the challenge, if even on multiple occasions.
“He's the best strikeout reliever we have, and in that situation, I trust Cade to make pitches there,” manager Stephen Vogt said afterward. “He's been doing it all year.” , Smith entered in the second inning to face Judge with the bases loaded after Vogt walked Soto intentionally with first base open and one out.
Smith held Judge to a sac fly before striking out Austin Wells to end the frame and coaxing a groundout from Stanton in the following inning. — a couple of innings before the unforgettable roller-coaster ride began in earnest — Smith entered with a one-run lead in the sixth and retired Soto, Judge and Stanton on 10 pitches, including a strikeout of Judge with a gnarly splitter. On Friday in Game 4, a similar assignment arose: Soto was again leading off the sixth, followed by Judge, new cleanup hitter Jazz Chisholm Jr.
and Stanton if a baserunner were to reach. Th.