Rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter continued his rapid rise Friday, delivering a standout performance as the Cleveland Guardians secured a 4-1 win over the Chicago Cubs in their home opener.
Making his first official home appearance in the majors, DeLauter showcased his impact at the plate with three hits, including a two-run home run that helped power Cleveland to victory. The 24-year-old West Virginia product also came through earlier in the game with a game-tying RBI single in the fifth inning. Through his first seven games, he now owns five home runs and eight RBIs, further solidifying his early-season surge.
Cleveland received a strong outing from Joey Cantillo, who limited Chicago to one run while striking out six across 5 1/3 innings. Gabriel Arias, despite early struggles, delivered a key moment with a go-ahead solo homer in the seventh inning. The win pushed the Guardians to 5-3 on the season and marked their first consecutive victories of the year.
However, the early innings did not unfold as expected for Cleveland. In the third, Pete Crow-Armstrong reached on a pop-up that dropped between Arias and José Ramírez near third base before advancing aggressively. He stole third and later scored on Miguel Amaya’s double down the line, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead.
Arias faced mounting pressure shortly after, drawing boos from the home crowd following a called third strike in the third inning. His struggles continued in the fifth when he was thrown out at the plate attempting to score behind Daniel Schneemann on DeLauter’s RBI single.
The shortstop responded in a pivotal moment. In the seventh inning, Arias connected on a 2-2 slider from Hunter Harvey and drove it into the right-field seats, shifting the momentum back to Cleveland and silencing earlier criticism. The home run marked his third hit of the season, with two of those leaving the yard.
That swing set the stage for DeLauter once again. After Steven Kwan worked a walk, the rookie turned on a fastball from Harvey and launched a 402-foot home run, energizing the sellout crowd of more than 36,000 and extending Cleveland’s lead.
From there, the Guardians’ bullpen locked things down. Cade Smith closed out the ninth inning with three strikeouts to secure his second save, while Matt Festa delivered a crucial sequence in relief during the sixth, escaping a jam with runners on the corners by inducing two foul popouts to Ramírez.
Harvey was charged with the loss for Chicago, which leaned heavily on its bullpen after starter Cade Horton exited in the second inning due to a right forearm injury.