MLB Superstar Shows Respect for Guardians Pitcher's Electric Stuff

Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith was hyped up by superstar Bryce Harper at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.

Jun 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith (36) celebrates during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"That's disgusting guys... sorry about that."

Words uttered by one of baseball's most polarizing and talented players: Bryce Harper.

And while it may sound like Harper was describing gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe or leftovers forgotten in the back of the fridge, he wasn't. He was talking about Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith, the stoic, lights-out pitcher who sent him back to the dugout with a filthy splitter during the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.

"That's disgusting guys. Sorry about that".

Bryce Harper was mic'd up during his strikeout against Cade Smith's nasty splitter 😭 pic.twitter.com/zTYLqD6MLX

— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2026

Smith had himself a gem of an inning, entering in the sixth frame for the American League All-Stars. With a nice 3-0 lead already in hand, he didn't have much pressure to perform.

However, he wanted to show the rest of the baseball world just how good he is, especially this season, producing a 1, 2, 3 inning.

He began by getting William Contreras to foul off two pitches before forcing him to fly out to right field with a 97.7 mph four-seamer at the top of the zone. After recording the first out of the inning, he then flashed his splitter twice in Harper's at-bat, with the so-called "disgusting" pitch being an 88.9 mph splitter down in the dirt.

With a bit of extra confidence after sending the Phillies' superstar 20-home-run-hitter, Smith got the Arizona Diamondbacks' speedster, Corbin Carroll, to strike out in four pitches. He began with a sweeper towards the outside of the zone, a four-seamer at the top of the zone and then posted a ball with a splitter down in the dirt.

Giving Carroll three different pitches to see, he finished him off with a 99.4 mph heater at the bottom of the zone to end the inning.

Cleveland #Guardians closer Cade Smith collected a pair of strikeouts last night in the MLB All-Star game in a scoreless 6th inning of work that included a nasty splitter on a mic'd up Harper.

Line - 1.0(IP) 0H 0R 0ER 0BB 2SO

(12 Pitches 9 Strikes)#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/33zrTW70VU

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) July 15, 2026

While Cleveland's bullpen has fallen under plenty of scrutiny this year, Smith showed again just how valuable he is. Being able to light up and send down some of the National League's best players gives him a boost heading into the back half of the season.

"I'm still trying to improve, still trying to learn," the first-year All-Star said prior to the All-Star game. "If you do nothing and you stay stagnant, I think you're falling behind. So … it's trying to figure out how do I continue to make my slider better, continue to make my splitter better, continue to make my fastball better, continue to command the ball better, and how do I mix and pitch and keep hitters off-balance? And that's the constant beauty in this game."

Across 42 games and 36 games finished, which is a career-high, Smith currently owns a 2.84 ERA and 1.105 WHIP, all while striking out roughly 13 batters per nine innings.

There are still improvements to be made and consistency to be built upon, but the groundwork has been laid for Smith to hold onto Cleveland's closer spot ever since Emmanuel Clase's exit from the club.

Preparing to return back to regular season play, the Guardians and Smith will be up against the Pittsburgh Pirates from Progressive Field in just a few days. They'll begin a three-game set on Friday, July 17, at 7:10 p.m. EST.