Chase DeLauter Just Tied the MLB Home Run Lead and Cleveland Fans Are Losing It
The Cleveland Guardians rookie showed up to his fourth career game and decided he was ready to run the table. In Friday's home opener, Chase DeLauter belted a two-run shot, singled home another run, and collected three hits total to move into a tie for the major league lead with five home runs. The Guardians rolled past the Cubs 4-1, and everyone in that sold-out crowd of 36,396 knew exactly who to thank.
The Walk-Up Song Made Him Chills Every Time
Here's what's wild: before every single one of DeLauter's four plate appearances, the entire stadium sang "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver. For a kid who grew up in West Virginia, where that song is set? That hit different. "It's awesome hearing that from the first time; I get chills every at-bat," DeLauter said. "A lot of players look at it like, 'Is that walk-up going to catch on?' So I love that the crowd is real involved in it here."
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiThe energy was so pure that when DeLauter touched the plate on his homer, he got so fired up he body-checked teammate Steven Kwan in celebration. Kwan was stunned for a second before breaking into a smile. That's the kind of stuff that tells you a young guy is exactly where he needs to be.
The Numbers Are Ridiculous
Through just three home games in his young career, DeLauter is hitting .346 with eight RBIs and a 1.293 OPS. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt summed it up perfectly: "It's incredible what he's doing. Chase is comfortable, he's not big eyed, and he's doing a phenomenal job for us. It's a really fun start for him this year." He missed Cleveland's previous game after fouling a ball off his surgically repaired left foot in Los Angeles on Tuesday, but he came back ready to work.
The Guardians and Cubs continue their set Saturday night. Slade Cecconi (0-1, 12.46 ERA) takes the mound for Cleveland against Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga (0-1, 7.20 ERA). Don't miss it.
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