Guardians Pitcher's Cap Brim Miraculously Got in the Way of Scary Moment

Cade Smith's hat was the hero of the day.

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Smith is checked on after being hit by the ball against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith walked away unscathed after a scary moment during the one inning he threw against the Seattle Mariners Friday night.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, he threw a splitter down in the zone to Mariners slugger Rowdy Tellez, who smacked a line drive right back up the middle. The ball screamed straight toward Smith's head and made contact, but he somehow walked away like nothing happened.

Miraculously, the bill of Smith's hat ate the force from the 107-mph comeback liner. As the crowd cheered when they realized he was alright, he held the hat—now adorned with a jagged brim—which kept him from a potentially serious injury.

The brim of Cade Smith's hat might have saved his life pic.twitter.com/NJ7LebWs4v

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) June 14, 2025

Here's another angle:

Cade Smith just took 107 MPH to the face and he’s totally fine pic.twitter.com/o5OUPl4BgE

— Peter Appel (@peterappel23) June 14, 2025

The ball bounced into the outfield at T-Mobile Park and Tellez made it to second base for a double. But everyone inside the ballpark was just thankful Smith walked away O.K. After he was checked out by the Guardians' staff, he remained in the game to finish out the fifth inning.

Tellez's liner, which could have turned out much worse, was the only hit Smith gave up on the night. The Mariners had a four-run seventh inning to pull away with a 7-2 victory in the weekend-series opener.

Normally, ball caps are good for shade—apparently they can serve as protective headgear too.

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