Chase DeLauter made quite an impression in his first regular-season MLB game.
The 24-year-old outfielder hit a home run in his first at-bat and added another in the ninth inning to help the Cleveland Guardians beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 at T-Mobile Park on Thursday. He became the first player in Cleveland franchise history to hit multiple home runs in his regular-season debut and just the sixth player to accomplish the feat since 1900. Trevor Story did it most recently in 2016.
DeLauter led off his debut with a 358-foot shot off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert that just cleared the outstretched glove of right fielder Luke Raley, coming off his bat at 102.2 mph.
His ninth-inning insurance run was a no-doubter, measuring 422 feet at 111.1 mph.
Thursday technically marked DeLauter’s first regular-season game, but not his first time on a big league field. He became one of just six players to make their MLB debut in the postseason this past fall.
DeLauter was selected in the first round of the 2022 draft and dealt with multiple injuries throughout his minor league career before finally arriving on the big stage. His father Jason, who was in attendance along with family and friends, said the journey made the moment even more meaningful.
“He’s just worked. He’s continued to work,” Jason DeLauter said. “None of this was guaranteed.”
DeLauter is ranked the 46th overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline.
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