DeLauter Crushes 402-Foot Bomb as Guardians Win Home Opener 4-1 Over Cubs
36,396 fans packed Progressive Field for the home opener. And Chase DeLauter made sure every single one of them went home happy.
Guardians 4, Cubs 1. Cleveland wins its home opener behind a DeLauter two-hit night that included a 402-foot bomb to right field in the seventh inning that blew this game wide open. Welcome home, kid.
The Seventh Inning That Changed Everything
For most of this game, it was a tight, nervous affair. The Cubs grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third when Miguel Amaya doubled to left and scored Pete Crow-Armstrong. Cleveland answered in the fifth when DeLauter singled to left to score Daniel Schneemann, tying it at 1-1.
Then came the seventh.
Gabriel Arias led off with a solo homer to right—358 feet, just enough to clear the wall. The crowd went nuts. Then Steven Kwan got on base, and DeLauter stepped up. He crushed a 402-foot shot to right field that wasn't even close. Two-run homer. 4-1 Guardians. Progressive Field absolutely erupted.
That's five home runs for DeLauter in seven games. FIVE. In his first week as a big leaguer. The kid is not human.
Cantillo Gutted It Out
Joey Cantillo didn't have his best stuff—he only went a few innings—but the bullpen stepped up huge. Cam Brogdon picked up the win with a clean inning of relief. Emmanuel Sabrowski and the rest of the pen held it down, and Cam Smith locked it up with a three-strikeout save in the ninth. This bullpen has been quietly nasty all season.
On the other side, Cubs starter Cade Horton—who threw seven scoreless against Cleveland last July—only lasted one inning tonight. ONE. Whatever the Guardians saw on film, they were locked in from the jump. Colin Rea ate innings in long relief for Chicago, but the damage was done once DeLauter got his hands on one in the seventh.
Arias Is Heatin' Up Too
Don't sleep on Gabriel Arias. The shortstop's been quiet at the plate this year (.105 coming in), but that solo shot in the seventh was his second homer of the season. He's startin' to find his swing at the right time, and with DeLauter and Ramírez in the lineup, pitchers can't just pitch around him anymore.
The Yodanehoda Take
Five home runs in seven games for a rookie. A home opener win in front of 36,000-plus. A bullpen that slams the door. And Cleveland sits at 5-3, first place in the AL Central.
This team is for real. DeLauter is for real. And if you're a Cleveland fan who's been hurt before—trust me, I get it—but maybe, just maybe, this kid is the one worth believing in.
Cubs are back at the Prog tomorrow at 7:15 PM on FOX. Bring that same energy, Cleveland.