It didn't take Chase DeLauter long to debut Guardians' new home run celebration

Across the past couple seasons, team MLB home runs celebrations have been all the rage. 

From the Toronto Blue Jays home run jacket that celebrates the team’s diverse background to the Mariners’ home run trident, there’s no shortage of team-building celebrations occurring in dugouts after a team hits a home run. 

And while the Guardians had largely stayed out of that fad, they showed that things are going to be different in 2026 thanks to a medieval knight's helmet that will adorn the head of whichever player hits the home run. 

The helmet made its triumphant debut in the first inning after Chase DeLauter slugged a home run in his first regular season at-bat, and it returned again in the ninth inning when he slugged yet another one. 

Guardians debut new team home run celebration in win over Mariners

While the helmet isn’t as abrasive or gaudy as the Mariners’ home run trident, it’s the kind of subtle, small gesture that can help break up the monotony of a 162-game season. 

Everyone on the Guardians is going to be around each other for six months straight, so having some kind of way to shake things up or add an extra level of enjoyment to the team’s accolades. 

According to the Guardians’ broadcast, the idea for the helmet started in the spring after the team took a trip to the Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona.  

While talking about it on the broadcast, they flashed pictures of the players done up in medieval garb, with Andre Knott confirming that Austin Hedges was the mastermind behind the plan. 

Hedges helping the Guardians go medieval is a tangible example of the kind of connections the Guardians have had over the past couple years. 

They once again have one of the youngest rosters in baseball, but they also have a roster that’s grown extremely close. You can’t come back from a 15 1/2 game deficit without everyone in the clubhouse buying in for the collective mission. 

Another reason the Guardians have been able to reach that level of success is because of Stephen Vogt, who has won back-to-back American League Manager of the Year awards while helping lead Cleveland into the postseason both times. 

Vogt has a well-earned reputation as a players manager, and he’s also provided a steady hand while the team has to navigate injuries, gambling investigations and everything in between. 

Vogt and José Ramírez are both among the best at what they do, and they’ve helped establish a clubhouse culture that’s among MLB’s best. That was the case before they added in a home run celebration, and it’ll be the case whenever it ends 

And, if Thursday’s game is any indication, they’re going to need to make sure that helmet fits DeLauter’s head.