Cade Smith didn’t take the bait after Junior Caminero’s loud Game 6 home run celebration, and that was probably the most striking part of the whole moment.
The Cleveland Guardians closer could have leaned into the old-school outrage that always follows a display like that. He could have bristled, complained, or gone full veteran eye-roll. Instead, Smith kept it simple and honest.
“It's not my style but I guess if I don’t like it, I shouldn’t give up home runs,” Smith said, via Jesse Rogers of ESPN.
That answer landed because it didn’t try to be anything more than what it was. Smith didn’t pretend to love the showboating, and he didn’t turn the incident into a lecture. He just acknowledged the obvious: Caminero’s celebration wasn’t his thing, but the best way to avoid it was to keep the ball in the yard.
The swing itself was a massive turning point in a tight game. In the seventh inning, Tampa Bay was hanging onto a 3-1 lead before Caminero’s homer stretched it to 5-1.
Junior Caminero looked toward Randy Arozarena and did Randy's celebration before crossing home! pic.twitter.com/ehAH0ZrpYx
— MLB (@MLB) October 20, 2026
Smith, who had been reliable all season, had an off night at the worst possible time. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt had been willing to use him heavily in the postseason, including multi-inning work at times, and Smith clearly didn’t have much left.
Cleveland tried to answer, cutting the deficit to 5-3 in the top of the eighth. But Yandy Diaz slammed the door with a two-run homer in the bottom half, pushing Tampa Bay to a 7-3 lead that held as the final score.
For Smith, the night ended with a classy quote and a brutal result. For the Guardians, it marked the end of their season.
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