Guardians’ Chase DeLauter out to add to homer barrage vs. Mariners

Don’t be surprised if the “Ballad of Chase DeLauter” hits the airwaves by next weekend.

It’s happened in Cleveland before, after all.

DeLauter etched his name in the history books, hitting a two-run homer in the 10th inning Saturday in a 6-5 victory against the host Seattle Mariners.

It gave him four homers over his first three career regular-season games, matching the MLB record set by Colorado’s Trevor Story in 2016. The season-opening series concludes Sunday.

DeLauter, who made his debut in the 2025 playoffs, went deep to left field off Mariners closer Andres Munoz to give the Guardians a 6-3 lead. It was needed insurance as Seattle’s Luke Raley hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning.

DeLauter, who went deep twice on Opening Day and again in the first inning Friday, was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts when he stepped to the plate in the 10th.

“That shows the maturity right there,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He had a tough night up until that point and obviously facing one of the best closers in the league, if not best closer in the league, and to hit a ball (opposite field) in Seattle at night when it’s cold, that takes some kind of power. … He’s just showing his poison. That was pretty special.”

DeLauter’s start undoubtedly has reminded old-timers in Cleveland of Joe Charboneau, the 1980 American League Rookie of the Year.

Two musicians attended the team’s home opener that season, in which Charboneau doubled and homered, and later that day wrote the song “Go Joe Charboneau.” They released a single under the name Section 36, where they were sitting at Cleveland’s old Municipal Stadium.

While the song perhaps wasn’t worthy of the nearby Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland it lives on in franchise lore. The New York Times described it as a “rock opus — its sound is somewhere between a tribal chant and the groan of someone with a stubbed toe.”

DeLauter said before the Saturday game that he hasn’t had much time to take a step back and appreciate his record start.

“It’s something that’s hard to focus on right now,” DeLauter said. “I’m just focused on (Sunday), making sure I’m available (Sunday) night. It’s definitely something I’ll look back on. But man, it’s a cool start.”

Speaking of cool — or cold — starts, the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez got their first hits of the season.

After striking out in each of his first eight at-bats of the campaign, Raleigh singled to center in the third inning. Rodriguez busted out of an 0-for-10 slump with a run-scoring single with two outs in the ninth to force extra innings.

“Tough one tonight,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said after the game. “A one-run loss is always tough. Extra innings makes it a little more difficult. But you’ve got to give it to our guys. They came back there in the ninth inning and battled to get the tie, and then making it exciting there in the bottom of the 10th as well. We kept coming back and that’s what this team is all about. But just a little bit too late and a little bit short.”

The series finale is set to feature a pair of right-handers who were first-round draft picks in 2020 in the Guardians’ Slade Cecconi (7-7, 4.30 ERA in 2025) and Seattle’s Emerson Hancock (4-5, 4.90).

Cecconi is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA in one previous start against the Mariners; Hancock is 2-0 with a 2.19 in two career starts versus Cleveland.

-Field Level Media