Chase DeLauter authors storybook debut in Guardians’ Opening Day win over Mariners

While Chase DeLauter technically recorded his first career hit in last year’s postseason for the Guardians, they don’t count toward official statistics, so he spent the entire offseason existing in a weird limbo.

He didn’t waste any time pulling himself out of that limbo in the Guardians' opener on Thursday.

In his first career regular season at-bat, DeLauter launched a sky-scraping fly ball to right center field that barely snuck over the outfield wall for a home run. 

It wasn’t initially clear if Mariners outfielder Luke Raley caught the ball which led to the crowd at T-Mobile Park sitting in stunned silence while they tried to make out if the ball left the park or not.

But once it was clear that it did, the Guardians dugout exploded while DeLauter ran around the bases in celebration. 

And he wasn’t done. 

After starting Cleveland’s eventual 6-4 with that homer, he ended it with a 422 foot homer in the ninth inning off Cooper Criswell that left his bat like a missile. 

Talk about a debut. 

Chase DeLauter shows exactly why he’s worth the hype in Guardians’ win over Mariners 

With the homer, DeLauter became the sixth player in Guardians history to homer in his first career regular season at-bat, joining Earl Averill, Jay Bell, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Jhonkensy Noel.

The regular season distinction is a good one to make with DeLauter considering he saw time last year in the postseason, where he went 1-for-6 in two games against the Tigers. 

That postseason experience was a clear example of how highly the Guardians viewed him, and showed exactly why with his strong showing on Thursday. While his homer traveled just 358 feet (and would have been homer in just 10 ballparks), it still showcased his 80-grade power. 

Not only did it come on an 85 mile per hour slider, but it also came at dusk in Seattle, which usually leads to the marine layer killing fly balls on the warning track. 

But instead DeLauter was able to generate enough power to get it out over the fence against Mariners ace Logan Gilbert, who was one of the best pitchers in the American League last season. 

His second home run was the kind of home run that could turn him into a household name. Criswell missed on a cutter inside and DeLauter made him pay using his short, violent swing that sent the ball deep into the Seattle night. 

While DeLauter recorded plenty of hard hit balls in the spring, it’s always dangerous to extrapolate too much from any kind of spring training result. 

But his performance on Friday makes that spring showing look more like a warning to the rest of the league than an exhibition slate outlier. 

His big day capped off a strong offensive showing for the Guardians, as Rhys Hoskins went 3-for-3 in his Cleveland debut while José Ramírez and Brayan Rocchio both drove in multiple runs. 

Although one game doesn’t make a season, Guardians fans would much rather see an Opening Day win led by DeLauter than an uninspired effort in a loss. 

The road to 162-0 continues on Friday. And DeLauter will be front and center in the Guardians’ lineup when it happens.