Guardians fans have been eagerly awaiting Chase DeLauter's big league debut, and he's certainly living up to the hype. With each swing of the bat, the 24-year-old is carving out his place in baseball history.
In an impressive start, DeLauter smashed two homers in his MLB regular-season debut against the Mariners on Thursday. He didn't stop there, launching another in his first at-bat on Friday. This feat places him in elite company as only the third player since 1900 to hit three home runs in his first two regular-season games, joining Trevor Story (2016) and Joe Cunningham (1954).
Batting second for the Guardians on Friday, nestled between Steven Kwan and José Ramírez, DeLauter faced off against right-hander George Kirby. He took a 1-0 slider and sent it 360 feet over right field, with a blistering exit velocity of 99.4 mph, according to Statcast.
The homer echoed his earlier shot, landing in nearly the same spot and once again eluding the reach of Luke Raley.
DeLauter’s MLB regular-season debut came after a memorable appearance in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series last October. His journey to the majors wasn't without hurdles, as injuries limited him to 138 games in the minors following his first-round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft. But now, he's proving that patience can indeed pay off for the Guardians and their fans.