Cleveland Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter hit two home runs in his major league regular-season debut, powering Cleveland to a 6-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on March 26, 2026, at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.[1]
DeLauter, a 24-year-old former first-round pick selected 16th overall by the Guardians in the 2022 MLB Draft, had previously appeared in the American League Wild Card Series the prior fall.[2] Limited to 138 minor-league games over three professional seasons due to injuries, he went 3-for-5 with his multi-homer game.[2]
In the first inning, DeLauter hit a solo home run off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert, becoming the fifth player in Cleveland's 126-year franchise history to homer in his first career regular-season at-bat and the first since Jhonkensy Noel on June 26, 2024.[3] His ninth-inning solo shot off reliever Cooper Criswell provided an insurance run for the final 6-4 margin.
DeLauter's feat made him the sixth player in MLB history to hit two home runs in a regular-season debut, following Bert Haas (1931), Bob Nieman (1951), Mark Quinn (2000), Trevor Story (2016) and Paul DeJong (2017).[4][5]
Guardians reliever Erik Sabrowski praised DeLauter after the game. "He’s not from this planet," Sabrowski said, according to The Athletic.
"That’s something I’ll never forget," DeLauter said of his postseason debut. He added of the regular-season opener: "I won’t forget this one either." DeLauter expressed excitement about staying healthy: "Thrilled to be available. Really excited to just play some meaningful baseball again."
The Guardians (1-0) visit the Mariners (0-1) in the series opener on March 27, 2026, at 9:45 p.m. ET.
Sources
- MLB.com
Mariners Ballpark
n/a (reference page)
https://www.mlb.com/mariners/ballpark - Baseball-Reference.com
Chase DeLauter
n/a (accessed October 2024)
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/delautch01.shtml - MLB.com
Guardians 8, Blue Jays 2 - Final Score - June 26, 2024
June 26, 2024
https://www.mlb.com/gameday/guardians-vs-blue-jays/2024/06/26/745596/final - MLB.com
Trevor Story first player since 2000 to homer twice in MLB debut
April 5, 2016
https://www.mlb.com/news/rockies-trevor-story-two-homers-in-debut-c170894950 - MLB.com
Paul DeJong hits two home runs in MLB debut
June 3, 2017
https://www.mlb.com/news/paul-dejong-two-homers-in-mlb-debut-c232345910
