Chase DeLauter's incredible start for Guardians has put him in elite company

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Chase DeLauter got off to a strong start for the Cleveland Guardians. 

That said, I don’t think anyone expected to look like this. 

DeLauter mashed a go-ahead, three-run home run against the Seattle Mariners yesterday, making him the second player in MLB history to hit four home runs in their first three career games alongside Trevor Story, who did so with the Rockies in 2016.

He’s also the second  player to hit at least one run in his first three regular season games. Seattle’s Kyle Lewis was the first to do so in 2019. 

Chase DeLauter’s historic start continues with clutch home run against Mariners 

DeLauter’s newest blast was arguably the biggest of the ones he’s hit so far. After going 0-for-4 across his first four at-bats, DeLauter stepped up to the plate in the tenth inning against Mariners All-Star closer Andrés Muñoz. And, after fighting off four pitches from Muñoz, DeLauter caught up to a fastball up in the zone and smoked it 365 feet the opposite way for a home run. 

DeLauter spent the first two games of his MLB career feasting on inside pitches thanks to his short, violent swing. But his home run swing against Muñoz showed how that quick swing can help him catch up to pitches on the outside as well. 

Not only has DeLauter carried himself like a big leaguer throughout the first regular season series of his career, but he’s also swung the bat like it. 

Injuries have obviously been a huge part of the early portion of DeLauter’s career, but the Guardians seem to have figured out the best way to keep his bat in the lineup while not pushing him to too much of his limits. 

After starting in right field for the first two games of his career, DeLauter got his first career start at designated hitter yesterday. And while he got off to a sluggish start in that appearance, he made up for it with his game-changing blast. 

That at-bat was also another example of why he’s the perfect No. 2 hitter for this iteration of the Guardians, as Muñoz was forced to pitch to Steven Kwan at the start of the tenth inning as opposed to intentionally walking him since he was flanked by DeLauter and José Ramírez behind him. 

While Steven Kwan has struggled a bit through the first couple games of the year, he recorded a two-hit game yesterday including a go-ahead single in the seventh inning that briefly gave the Guardians the lead. 

He opened the tenth inning with a bunt single that led to the go-ahead run scoring thanks to a throwing error from Brendan Donovan. 

Last year the Guardians won plenty of games on the back of zany plays like Kwan’s bunt. While we’re only three games into the 2026 campaign, it looks like DeLauter may help power the Guardians to a handful of wins himself.